The Importance of the Organization of Partner Knowledge in Understanding Perceptions of Relationship Quality and Conflict Resolution Behavior in Married Couples (original) (raw)
Related papers
2007
Earlier research has demonstrated that individuals high in self-esteem tend to integrate positive and negative information about close others whereas those low in self-esteem tend to segregate such information. The present study of roommates replicates this link and extends it by providing evidence that: (a) high self-esteem and integration of roommate views predict less contextdependent satisfaction with roommates, (b) the latter effect mediates the former, and, (c) integration of partner views predicts more stability in those views. Whereas we did not find an association between self-esteem and stability of partner views, we offer an explanation consistent with our original theory.
Judgments of a Relationship Partner: Specific Accuracy but Global Enhancement
Journal of Personality, 2002
How do partners in satisfying close relationships perceive each other? Some argue that relationships benefit from each partner having an accurate view of the other, while others maintain that partners benefit when they perceive each other in the most positive light possible. The current paper proposes that each of these benefits operates at a separate level of abstraction. Specifically, we propose that satisfied partners tend to be accurate in their specific perceptions of each other, but enhancing in their global evaluations. To address hypotheses derived from this model, global and specific perceptions of self and partner were obtained from a sample of 82 newlywed couples. Results indicate that: 1) trait perceptions assessed by different commonly used measures differ significantly in their breadth; 2) broader or more global traits are rated as significantly more desirable and important; 3) spouses in satisfying marriages describe their partners' positive traits in more global terms and their negative traits in more specific terms; and 4) spouses perceive each other more accurately on specific traits than global traits.
The Dynamics of Self-Esteem in Partner Relationships
European Journal of Personality, 2015
Previous research on the role of self-esteem in partner relationships indicates that it is both predictive of and predicted by variables such as relationship satisfaction. However, most of these studies were constrained to only relationship satisfaction, cross-sectional or individual data. In the present study, we examine the dynamic interplay between self-esteem and both broad (i.e. relationship satisfaction) and specific aspects of relationship quality (independence and connectedness) reflecting the fulfilment of agentic and communal needs in stable partner relationships from both an intrapersonal perspective and an interpersonal perspective. Study 1 assessed 186 individuals at three measurement occasions over 15 years and suggests a common developmental dynamic between self-esteem and relationship satisfaction, as indicated by initial correlations and correlated changes. In Study 2, actor and partner effects in stable couples (N = 2124 dyads) were examined over a period of three years. It was found that self-esteem and all three aspects of relationship quality are dynamically intertwined in such a way that both previous levels and changes in one domain predict later changes in the other domain. Together, the findings indicate that self-esteem is consequential for the development of a variety of relationship aspects but likewise influenced by these very aspects.
Organization of partner knowledge: Relationship outcomes and longitudinal change
Personality and Social Psychology …, 2004
This study examined the association between organization of knowledge about a romantic partner (partner structure) and relationship status (ongoing or ended) 1 year later. Ironically, partner structures that were associated with more positive feelings about one's partner at Time 1 were associated with greater rates of breakup by Time 2. These results are interpreted in terms of the vulnerability of compartmentalized partner structures to shifts in the salience of negative beliefs and the hypothesized difficulty of maintaining integrative structures for an extended period of time. Change in partner structure during 1 year's time was consistent with the predictions of the dynamic model that evaluative integration should increase when negative beliefs become salient. Such change (which may represent a transient shift) was associated with couples' longevity when relationship conflict was low, supporting the view that integration reflects a struggle with negative attributes that may or may not be successful.
Through the looking glass darkly? When self-doubts turn into relationship insecurities
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998
The authors argue that individuals regulate perceptions of their relationships in a self-protective way, finding virtue in their partners only when they feel confident that their partners also see virtues in them. In 4 experiments, the authors posed an acute threat to low and high self-esteem individuals' feelings of self-worth (e.g., guilt about a transgression, fears of being inconsiderate or intellectually inept). They then collected measures of confidence in the partner's positive regard and acceptance (i.e., reflected appraisals) and perceptions of the partner. The results revealed that low self-esteem individuals reacted to self-doubt with heightened doubts about their partners' regard, which then tarnished impressions of their partners. In contrast, high self-esteem individuals reacted to selfdoubts by becoming more convinced of tfieir partners' continued acceptance, using their relationships as a resource for self-affirmation.
Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem and the Ups and Downs of Romantic Relationships
Relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) emerges from perspectives on authenticity, need fulfillment, and relationship functioning and is an unhealthy form of self-esteem that depends on one's relationship. Four studies provided evidence of convergent, discriminant, incremental, and predictive validity for RCSE. Study 1 tested associations between RCSE and several conceptually related and unrelated constructs in multiple samples. In Study 2, the authors employed an event-contingent diary procedure to examine reports of self-esteem as a function of everyday relationship events. The association between event valence and changes in self-esteem became stronger with RCSE, and this interaction remained controlling for several parallel interactions by other constructs. Study 3 employed an interval-contingent diary procedure and found support for a mediation model in which the moderating role of RCSE largely occurred through momentary emotions, which in turn predicted momentary self-esteem. Study 4 sampled couples and found that partners who were both higher in RCSE felt more committed but not more satisfied or close.
2017
The current study analyzes self-esteem and the apparent mood of one’s partner as predictors of perceived responsibility, level of felt rejection, and relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. The study hypothesizes that ambivalence will act as a moderating variable between self-esteem and romantic relationship outcomes. Previous research on the topic suggests that self-esteem is associated with how participants react to their romantic partner when they are in a specific mood. The current study will be one of the first to examine how ambivalence affects self-esteem’s effect on romantic relationships. The results replicate previous research, showing that self-esteem interacts with partner’s mood to predict perceived responsibility. Results also show that level of rejection and relationship satisfaction are associated with self-esteem. Ambivalence was not a significant moderator of these effects. Additionally, self-concept clarity was a significant predictor of how responsib...
Romantic Relationship and Partner Schemas: Concepts Associated with a Positive Valence
Trends in Psychology
This study identifies concepts associated with positive valence of romantic relationship and partner, in order to characterize the schemas about these two phenomena. Participants (N = 158, 134 women) were asked to write about the positive aspects of their relationship and their partner. These reports were subjected to lexical and content analysis. Nineteen categories emerged, related to the concepts that compose the relationship schema, and 21 others related to the partner. Words and categories most frequently mentioned to characterize positive aspects of the relationship were companionship and trust, and to characterize positive aspects of the partner were caring and affectionate. There was recurrence in words and categories used among participants, indicating consensus about which aspects are positive in a relationship and a romantic partner. Differences in relationship satisfaction levels between those who mentioned and those who did not mention categories created from the reports were tested. Individuals who mentioned categories as companionship, affection, respect, and dialogue showed higher levels of satisfaction than those who did not mention these categories. The results suggest that the schemes can provide indicators of satisfaction with the relationship.