Repair Attempts

Any word, action, or gesture intended to de-escalate tension during conflict. Can be serious ("I'm sorry, I got defensive"), simple ("Can we take a break?"), or even silly. In healthy relationships, repair attempts are made and received. In distressed relationships, they're either not made or are rejected because negative sentiment has taken over. The ability to repair is one of the strongest predictors of relationship health.

Origin

John Gottman