Turning Point Analysis

Turning point analysis is the study of moments of change in a relationship. Turning point analysis recognizes that relationships have the potential to change in positive or negative ways at any given point. The concept of studying these pivotal moments of change received some sporadic attention in the area of interpersonal communication beginning with Charles Bolton’s framing of relationships in 1961. However, it was the work of Leslie Baxter and Connie Bullis in 1986 that was its own “turning point” that transformed the topic from an often-ignored feature of relationships to a focus of relational analysis. Baxter and Bullis popularized the view that studying turning points not only offered evidence of various trajectories for relationship development, but also could yield important insight into ...