Showing papers in "Personal Relationships in 2002"
TL;DR: The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) as mentioned in this paper was developed as a conceptual framework for collecting and analyzing dyadic data, primarily by stressing the importance of considering the interdependence that exists between dyad members.
Abstract: Data collected from both members of a dyad provide abundant opportunities as well as data analytic challenges. The Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Kashy & Kenny, 2000) was developed as a conceptual framework for collecting and analyzing dyadic data, primarily by stressing the importance of considering the interdependence that exists between dyad members. The goal of this paper is to detail how the APIM can be implemented in dyadic research, and how its effects can be estimated using hierarchical linear modeling, including PROC MIXED in SAS and HLM (version 5.04; Raudenbush, Bryk, Cheong, & Congdon, 2001). The paper describes the APIM and illustrates how the data set must be structured to use the data analytic methods proposed. It also presents the syntax needed to estimate the model, indicates how several types of interactions can be tested, and describes how the output can be interpreted.
629 citations
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that positive marital quality was predictive of more benign attributions that facilitated forgiveness both directly and indirectly via affective reactions and emotional empathy, whereas wives’ responsibility attributions were more predictive of forgiveness, whereas empathy was a better predictor of forgiveness in husbands than in wives.
Abstract: Italian husbands (n = 79) and wives (n = 92) from long-term marriages provided data on the role of marital quality, affective reactions, and attributions for hypothetical partner transgressions in promoting forgiveness. Structural equation modeling revealed that, as hypothesized, positive marital quality was predictive of more benign attributions that, in turn, facilitated forgiveness both directly and indirectly via affective reactions and emotional empathy. Unexpectedly, marital quality did not account for unique variance in forgiveness. Compared to husbands, wives’ responsibility attributions were more predictive of forgiveness, whereas empathy was a better predictor of forgiveness in husbands than in wives. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the burgeoning therapeutic literature on forgiveness. Intimate relationships satisfy our deepest affiliative needs and are also the source of some of our most poignant hurts. When the hurt occurs, negative feelings (e.g., anger, resentment) are common, creating a potential disruption in the relationship. One means of meeting this challenge is through forgiveness, a concept that has received remarkably little attention in science despite its pervasiveness across cultures and major religions (Worthington & Wade, 1999). Although it is a complex construct without a consensual definition, at the center of various approaches to forgiveness is the idea of a transformation in which motivation to seek revenge and to avoid contact with the transgressor is lessened and prosocial motivation toward the transgressor is increased. According to the psychotherapy literature, forgiveness helps to restore relationships, release bitterness and anger, and heal inner emotional wounds (e.g., DiBlasio &
297 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the relation between adult attachment processes and sexuality in a community sample of 792 young adults (327 men and 465 women) from the Niagara region of Canada and found significant relationships between sexuality and attachment.
Abstract: The relations between adult attachment processes and sexuality were examined in a community sample of 792 young adults (327 men and 465 women) from the Niagara region of Canada. Participants completed questionnaires that included Simpson’s (1990) measure of adult attachment, self-reported physical attractiveness, erotophilia, and a variety of sexual behavior measures (e.g., number of sexual partners, age of first sexual experience, frequency of sexual behaviors in the past year, whether an affair had occurred in the past year, and consistent condom usage). The sexuality measures were factor analyzed to extract common factors. The results were modest, but a number of significant relationships between sexuality and attachment were observed. For example, people scoring higher on a secure attachment index perceived themselves as more physically attractive, whereas people scoring higher on an anxious attachment index perceived themselves as less physically attractive, had an early first intercourse (and more lifetime partners), more infidelity, and took more sexual precautions (e.g., condom usage). The results were generally stronger in women, with most of the attachment/sexuality associations in the full sample being driven by the results in women. Implications for understanding sexual variability, including high-risk sexual behavior, are discussed.
273 citations
TL;DR: Forgiveness in married couples was found to predict partner reports of psychological aggression and constructive communication in a study by as discussed by the authors, which was independent of both spouses’ marital satisfaction.
Abstract: Two studies examined whether forgiveness in married couples predicted partner reports of psychological aggression and constructive communication. Study 1 found that forgiveness of hypothetical acts of psychological aggression predicted partner reports of psychological aggression. Study 2 examined actual transgressions and found two underlying dimensions of forgiveness (positive and negative). The negative dimension predicted partner reports of psychological aggression, and, for husbands, the positive dimension predicted partner reports of constructive communication. All findings were independent of both spouses’ marital satisfaction. The implications for understanding marital interaction and future research on forgiveness are discussed.
224 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated mate preferences for five different levels of relationship involvement (marriage, serious relationship, falling in love, casual sex, and sexual fantasies) among individuals of 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years of age.
Abstract: The present study investigated mate preferences for five different levels of relationship involvement—marriage, serious relationship, falling in love, casual sex, and sexual fantasies–among individuals of 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years of age. Consistent with an evolutionary perspective, men preferred mates who were higher in physical attractiveness than themselves, whereas women preferred mates who were higher in income, education, self–confidence, intelligence, dominance, and social position than themselves. The lower the level of relationship involvement, the lower were the preferred levels of education, physical attractiveness, and, particularly for males, preferred intelligence in comparison to oneself. For sexual fantasies, men and women preferred mates who were higher in physical attractiveness than those they preferred for real partners. There were few age differences in mate preferences, although older individuals set higher standards for a potential mate’s education.
212 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a prototype-based respect-for-partner scale was developed and compared with scales measuring liking, loving, attachment-related anxiety and avoidance, and positive and negative partner qualities.
Abstract: Researchers who study romantic relationships have mentioned respect as a factor contributing to relationship success, but little effort has been made to define respect, measure it, or discover how it relates to other relationship constructs. In Study 1 a prototype methodology was used to identify consensual features of respect. Participants in Study 2 rated the centrality of the features of respect and completed a new prototype-based respect-for-partner scale that was highly reliable and correlated in predictable ways with avoidant attachment and evaluative aspects of partner descriptions. In Study 3, the new respect scale predicted relationship satisfaction better than scales measuring liking, loving, attachment-related anxiety and avoidance, and positive and negative partner qualities. Suggestions are offered for future research on respect.
203 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use interdependence theory as an analytic framework for depicting the logically interconnected network of expectations that determines social interaction, and suggest that people's expectations about partners' prosocial motivations play an imperial role in social cognition and, further, that complex SABI models can be seen as detailing a set of security operations that serve as a program for social action.
Abstract: In this paper I use interdependence theory as an analytic framework for depicting the logically interconnected network of expectations that determines social interaction. The framework focuses on expectations about a partner’s goals (B) relevant to particular interdependence situations (S), and suggests that expectations about these two elements define the social situation that activates a person’s own goals (A). Together, these elements determine interaction behavior (I). This SABI framework is complementary to Mischel and Shoda’s (1995) CAPS theory of personality in its logic. It depicts a person’s interpersonal dispositions as having profiles or signatures dependent on both the expected features of situations and the expected dispositions of partners. A taxonomic theory for classifying both situations and the functionally relevant goals of interaction partners is outlined. Research on attachment theory and trust is used to illustrate the model. Finally, I suggest that people’s expectations about partners’ prosocial motivations—their perceived responsiveness toward the self—play an imperial role in social cognition, and, further, that complex SABI models can be seen as detailing a set of security operations that serve as a program for social action. SABI models detail the set of mechanisms that constitute the basic survival kit of interpersonal relations.
199 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relation between attachment security and marital satisfaction was moderated by reported spouse behavior, an effect that was especially marked for fearful participants and for those in longer-term marriages.
Abstract: The relations among measures of attachment, spouse behavior, and marital satisfaction were assessed in a broad sample of 193 married couples, using both questionnaire and diary methods. Insecure attachment was associated with less favorable reports of spouse behavior, as assessed by diary checklists. Marital satisfaction was predicted by attachment treasures and reports of spouse behavior. The relation between attachment security and marital satisfaction was moderated, but not mediated, by reported spouse behavior. Specifically, insecure individuals' evaluations of their relationships were more reactive to recent spouse behavior, an effect that was especially marked for fearful participants and for those in longer-term marriages. Some gender differences in patterns of prediction were obtained. The results are discussed in terms of the working models associated with attachment styles, and the processes by which relationship satisfaction may be eroded over time.
197 citations
TL;DR: In this article, four dimensions underlying the prototype of relationship quality were identified: intimacy, agreement, independence, and sexuality, and the four scales correlated as predicted with other constructs relevant to close relationships.
Abstract: Four studies examined the dimensions of relationship quality. In Study 1, based on a principal components analysis, four dimensions underlying the prototype of relationship quality were identified: intimacy, agreement, independence, and sexuality. The four–factorial structure was replicated both with a German sample (Study 2) and a Canadian sample (Study 3). Study 4 tested the validity of scales based on the four–factorial structure of relationship quality with German and Canadian samples. Relationship satisfaction was predicted well by the four scales, with intimacy contributing most, and sexuality least, to overall relationship satisfaction. The four scales correlated as predicted with other constructs relevant to close relationships, such as commitment, trust, love, and the like. Consequences for the measurement of relationship quality are discussed.
186 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the possibility that the correlation between demand/withdraw and dissatisfaction merely reflects the ubiquitous finding that expressions of negative affect are associated with dissatisfaction and examine whether the association between demand and dissatisfaction is less strong when spouses have a highly affectionate marriage.
Abstract: In spite of research connecting the demand/withdraw pattern of marital interaction to marital dissatisfaction, questions remain about its association with marital satisfaction when it is considered in the context of other interpersonal behaviors We explore the possibility that the correlation between demand/withdraw and dissatisfaction merely reflects the ubiquitous finding that expressions of negative affect are associated with dissatisfaction We also examine whether the association between demand/withdraw and satisfaction is less strong when spouses have a highly affectionate marriage Based on the current investigation, the demand/withdraw pattern of communication appears to be empirically distinguishable from the extent to which partners express negativity in their everyday lives, and it seems to account for variation in marital satisfaction over and above partners’ affectionate behaviors and negativity Moreover, the inverse association between demand/withdraw and marital satisfaction may be less strong when one partner frequently expresses affection in daily life Together, these results imply potential advantages to further exploring the interdependence among behaviors within marital interaction systems
170 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an established method for assessing empathic accuracy was used to examine the consequences of accurate understanding during the early years of marriage and found that levels of empathic understanding reliably declined following the first year of marriage.
Abstract: An established method for assessing empathic accuracy was used to examine the consequences of accurate understanding during the early years of marriage. Structural equation modeling analyses simultaneously examined within-individual and across-partner associations among variables (actor effects and partner effects). During the first year of marriage, actor effects and partner effects were observed for two presumed consequences of empathic accuracy—accommodative behavior and couple well-being. Actor effects, partner effects, or both were observed for three possible determinants of empathic accuracy—commitment level, partner perspective-taking, and psychological femininity. Levels of empathic accuracy reliably declined following the first year of marriage, as did the strength of the above-noted associations with empathic accuracy.
TL;DR: The authors explored direct, mediated, and moderated associations between adult attachment style and marital satisfaction using a community-based sample of 73 married women and found that continuous ratings of secure, avoidant, and ambivalent attachment styles were related to levels of marital satisfaction.
Abstract: We explored direct, mediated, and moderated associations between adult attachment style and marital satisfaction using a community-based sample of 73 married women. Continuous ratings of secure, avoidant, and ambivalent attachment styles were related to levels of marital satisfaction. However, psychological distress mediated the association between secure attachment and marital satisfaction, and social support mediated the relation between avoidant attachment and marital satisfaction. In addition, psychological distress moderated the relation between both secure and avoidant attachment styles and marital satisfaction.
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of attachment characteristics on own and partner's disclosure was addressed using a sample of 113 couples in medium-term dating relationships, and individual differences in attachment were assessed in terms of relationship anxiety and avoidance.
Abstract: Issues concerning the influence of attachment characteristics on own and partner's disclosure were addressed using a sample of 113 couples in medium-term dating relationships. Individual differences in attachment were assessed in terms of relationship anxiety and avoidance. Disposition to disclose was assessed using questionnaire measures of self-disclosure, relationship-focused disclosure, and the ability to elicit disclosure from the partner; in addition, structured diaries were used to assess aspects of disclosure (amount, intimacy, emotional tone, and satisfaction) in the context of couples' everyday interactions. Couple-level analyses showed that avoidance strongly predicted dispositional measures of disclosure, whereas anxiety (particularly partner's anxiety) was related to negative evaluations of everyday interactions. Interactive effects of attachment dimensions and gender were also obtained, highlighting the complexity of communication behavior. The results are discussed in terms of the goals and strategies associated with working models of attachment.
TL;DR: The role of implicit theories in romantic relationships was investigated in two studies as discussed by the authors, where college students (N = 527) completed a set of questionnaires, including measures of relationship theories and functioning within romantic relationships.
Abstract: The role of implicit theories in romantic relationships was investigated in two studies. People holding a soulmate theory, who believed that finding the right person is most important for a satisfying relationship, were compared to people holding a work–it–out theory, who believed that effort is most important for building a successful relationship. In Study 1, college students (N = 527) completed a set of questionnaires, including measures of relationship theories and functioning within romantic relationships. Approximately 8 months later, a subset of these students (N = 176) completed a second set of questionnaires for Study 1. The implicit theories were highly stable over time (r = .74). For soulmate theorists, feelings that one’s specific partner is ideal predicted relationship satisfaction and relationship longevity to a greater extent than for work–it–out theorists. Whereas Study 1 investigated people’s theories of relationships as ends of a bipolar continuum, a separate study explored people’s theories of relationships as two unipolar dimensions. Findings from Study 2 (N = 266) supported a representation of the theories as two negatively correlated factors, and supported findings from Study 1 highlighting the role of the interaction between the relationship theories and partner fit in predicting relationship satisfaction.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between the intimacy and the magnitude of relational uncertainty generated by specific events within romantic relationships and found that episodic relational uncertainty peaks at moderate levels of intimacy.
Abstract: This paper seeks to clarify the association between the intimacy and the magnitude of relational uncertainty generated by specific events within romantic relationships. More specifically, we suggest that episodic relational uncertainty peaks at moderate levels of intimacy. We conducted a cross–sectional study in which 328 romantic relationship participants reported their reactions to a hypothetical relational uncertainty increasing event. Although the effect size was small, findings documented a curvilinear association between intimacy and episodic relational uncertainty. Further, hierarchical regression results supported our predictions about the effects of intimacy and episodic relational uncertainty on people’s reactions to the events. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding the roles of both intimacy and episodic relational uncertainty within romantic relationships.
TL;DR: In this article, a sample of 113 healthy older adults used a variant of the Rochester Interaction Record to describe the social interactions they had each day for two weeks, and completed various measures of psychological well-being including life satisfaction and loneliness.
Abstract: A sample of 113 healthy older adults used a variant of the Rochester Interaction Record to describe the social interactions they had each day for two weeks. They also completed various measures of psychological well-being including life satisfaction and loneliness. A series of multilevel random coefficient analyses found that life satisfaction scores were positively related to how enjoyable interactions were, how self-assured people felt when interacting, how much control they felt they had over interactions, how responsive others were to their needs, and how socially active they were. Analyses that took participants’ marital status into account suggested, however, that interaction outcomes and life satisfaction were related only for married participants, and that these relationships were primarily due to interaction outcomes with spouses.
TL;DR: In this paper, gender, gender role, and attachment style were used to predict emotional and instrumental dependency in a Basquestudent sample (N = 602) and psychometrically sound Spanish adaptation of English-language measures of dependency and attachment were created.
Abstract: Gender, gender role, and attachment style were used to predict emotional and instrumental dependency in a Basquestudent sample (N = 602). Psychometrically sound Spanish adaptations of English-language measures of dependency andattachment were created. As predicted, women were more emotionally and instrumentally dependent than men, but thesex differences were mediated by psychological masculinity and femininity. The anxious attachment dimension wascorrelated with emotional and instrumental dependency, the preoccupied rating with emotional dependency, and theavoidant attachment dimension and fearful rating with instrumental dependency. When the two attachment dimensionsand the two gender-role variables were combined to predict dependency, emotional dependency was a function ofanxious attachment and femininity; instrumental dependency was a function of anxious and avoidant attachment and lowmasculinity. Limitations and future directions are discussed. In the last 20 years there has been increasinginterest in the construct of interpersonaldependency, because of its importance forclose relationship dynamics and individualwell-being. Although some degree of depen-dency, especially during childhood, is normaland is a natural characteristic of highly socialanimals, there are also maladaptive forms ofdependency that deserve study because oftheir relevance for clinical assessment andtreatment. Excessive dependency is recog-nized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manualof Mental Disorders as a personality disorder(DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association,1994), and it has been linked with otherpersonality and clinical disorders (for areview, see Bornstein, 1995a). Even studiesof nonclinical samples reveal a high prev-alence of maladaptive dependency (Bartel,1995; Bornstein & Johnson, 1990), makingthis an especially important topic for furtherresearch.Birtchnell (1988) characterized the abnor-mally dependent person as one who consist-ently displays excessive dependency towardothers in ways that damage close relationshipsand threaten individual well-being. Subse-quently, the dependent personality disorder(DPD), as defined by the DSM-IV, became thestandard for therapists and researchers. DPDas defined by DSM-IV currently provides themost influential framework for the study ofpathological dependency.Although the goal of the DSM definitionand criteria was to denote a category ofindividuals needing treatment, many research-ers view personality disorders, including DPD,as ends of continua ranging from normalthrough mildly troubled to severely troubled(Livesley, 1987; Widiger & Sanderson, 1995).From this perspective, a positive diagnosis ofdependent personality disorder indicates ahigh degree of interpersonal dependency,479
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how burnout is related to marital quality and perceptions of inequity in the relationship and found that higher perceptions of perceived inequity are associated with higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and lower feelings of personal accomplishment.
Abstract: In the present study, caregiver burnout among the intimate partners of 106 cancer patients and 88 patients with multiple sclerosis was assessed. This study examined how burnout is related to marital quality and perceptions of inequity in the relationship. LISREL analyses showed that higher perceptions of inequity are strongly associated with higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and lower feelings of personal accomplishment. Intimate partners of both cancer patients and patients with multiple sclerosis are relatively likely to experience burnout when they feel that they do not invest or benefit enough in the exchange with their ill partner. The relationship between inequity and burnout held when general marital quality, gender, the duration of the illness, the physical and psychological condition of the ill partner, and support from other persons were controlled for. This study shows that perceptions of equity or balance in the relationship between patients and their intimate partners are important for preventing caregiver burnout and for enhancing positive caregiver experiences.
TL;DR: In this article, playfulness in romantic relationships was predicted to be positively associated with the experience of positive emotion, in turn, was associated with relationship satisfaction, and a self-report instrument was administered to students and community members via snowball sampling.
Abstract: This study introduces and reports an initial test of a theoretical model of play in romantic relationships. It was hypothesized that self–esteem and humor orientation would be positively associated with playfulness in romantic relationships. Playfulness in romantic relationships was predicted to be positively associated with the experience of positive emotion. Positive emotion, in turn, was predicted to be associated with relationship satisfaction. A self–report instrument was administered to students and community members via snowball sampling. Path analysis revealed that the data were consistent with the proposed model.
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that adults of different ages value different social ties, and less-educated individuals rated many social ties as more important than did researchers who study relationships, however.
Abstract: Two studies addressing age biases in research on family and social relationships are presented. Study 1 involved a content analysis of nearly 1,000 empirical studies published in six major journals from 1994 to 1999. Studies in these journals generally were limited to samples of adults under the age of 45, though nearly one third of the studies failed to include information about the ages of adult participants. Most research focused on marital ties, romantic partnerships, or relationships between parents and young children. Study 2 (N = 186) assessed beliefs about the importance of various relationships to adults of different ages. Researchers who study relationships (n = 71), adults with advanced degrees in other fields (n = 57), and less-educated adults (n = 58) rated the importance of various social ties to themselves and to adults of different ages. In general, participants agreed that adults of different ages value different social ties. Less-educated individuals rated many social ties as more important than did researchers who study relationships, however. Age biases in sampling and the types of relationships that receive research attention are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the concomitant effects of perceptions of spouse support (anticipated and received spouse support) and internal working models of attachment (positive-self and positive-other), on childbearing depressive symptomatology were investigated.
Abstract: Guided by both attachment and social support theories, the authors conducted a longitudinal investigation exploring the concomitant effects of perceptions of spouse support (anticipated and received spouse support) and internal working models of attachment (positive–self and positive–other), on childbearing depressive symptomatology. Distinct main and interaction effects for attachment dimensions and perceived support variables were hypothesized for high– and low–risk pregnancies. Participants in the final sample were 200 pregnant women who completed the self–report between the 25th and the 29th weeks of pregnancy, and 8 weeks after childbirth. Controlling for initial levels of depressive symptoms and health conditions, results demonstrated the protective role of high levels of received support and of positive–other models on childbirth depressive symptoms. Moreover, received support and models of positive–other were found to interact with health conditions, producing distinct moderation effects: Received support was found to be a significantly stronger protective factor for childbearing depression among women with low–risk pregnancies; positive–other models were found to be a significantly stronger protective factor among women with high–risk pregnancies. The implications of these findings for the understanding of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors in successful coping with a health risk situation are discussed.
TL;DR: This article found that the greater the husbands' bias to overattribute criticism and rejection to the thoughts and feelings of women they had never met, the more the husbands reported behaving in a verbally aggressive way toward their own wives.
Abstract: Is husbands’ wife-directed aggression related to unusual accuracy (hypersensitivity) or to bias (being likely to inappropriately infer criticism or rejection) when they infer women’s critical/rejecting thoughts and feelings? Results of a study using the empathic accuracy paradigm and signal detection analyses revealed that the greater the husbands’ bias to overattribute criticism and rejection to the thoughts and feelings of women they had never met, the more the husbands reported behaving in a verbally aggressive way toward their own wives. This finding discourages the conclusion that maritally aggressive men are uniquely provoked by their own female partners, and instead suggests that they are biased to overattribute criticism and rejection to women in general. The strength of this overattribution bias correlated negatively with the men’s accuracy in inferring the actual content of the women’s thoughts and feelings. On the other hand, the husbands’ thematic accuracy (their ability to accurately specify which of the stimulus women’s thoughts and feelings really were critical or rejecting) was associated with their self-reported marital satisfaction.
TL;DR: The authors investigated the effects of attachment working models on social perception processes and found that high scorers on anxiety tended to require less evidence to make both positive and negative judgments of others, while high scores on avoidance required more evidence to validate a positive judgment and also to reject a negative judgment.
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of attachment working models on social perception processes. Participants estimated the number of behavioral instances they would require to confirm and disconfirm hypothetical others’ possession of various traits. The attachment dimension of avoidance was associated with a defensively conservative style of social perception. High scorers on avoidance required more evidence to make a positive judgment and also more evidence to reject a negative judgment. In contrast, the attachment dimension of anxiety was associated with a relatively impulsive and labile perceptional style. High scorers on anxiety tended to require less evidence to make both positive and negative judgments of others. Results are discussed in terms of their concordance with previous findings and their implications for research on attachment and social perception.
TL;DR: The authors examined whether adolescent twins' attachment style mediates the association between their perceptions of differential parental treatment and their reported adjustment, and found that the strongest evidence for mediation was found for twins' reports of differential maternal affection in predicting adolescents' anxiety.
Abstract: The study examines whether adolescent twins' attachment style mediates the association between their perceptions of differential parental treatment and their reported adjustment. Data from a survey of 174 adolescent twins are used to assess the links between twins' reports of differential parental affection and differential parental control, their attachment style, and their reported personal self-esteem, social self-esteem, and anxiety. Twins' reports of having been disfavored in comparison with their co-twin were associated with attachment insecurity, anxiety, and lower personal self-esteem. Attachment was found to mediate the association between the twins' reports of differential parental affection and their reported anxiety and personal self-esteem. The strongest evidence for mediation was found for twins' reports of differential maternal affection in predicting adolescent twins' anxiety.
TL;DR: The authors examined the influence of resources, satisfaction with resources, and barriers on friendship quality between former dating partners using a social exchange framework and found that participants who received more resources reported higher levels of friendship quality with their former partner.
Abstract: Using a social exchange framework, this study examined the influence of resources, satisfaction with resources, and barriers on friendship quality between former dating partners. Three hundred and eighty-six college students were surveyed regarding their current relationship with their most recent former romantic partner. Results indicated that participants who received more resources reported higher levels of friendship quality with their former partner. Satisfaction with resources moderated the relationship between receipt of resources and friendship quality. Lack of family or friends’ support, involvement in a new romantic relationship, and the use of neglect as a disengagement strategy were all found to be barriers to friendship quality.
Abstract: Drawing upon Goffman (1963), we examined the impact of attachment style on responses to accommodative dilemmas among couples with “discredited” identities (i.e., lesbian and gay male couples). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that individuals in same-sex romantic relationships involving two securely attached partners would be more likely to engage in accommodation (i.e., in response to a partner’s anger or criticism, would behave constructively) than would individuals in same-sex romantic relationships involving at least one insecurely attached partner. As expected, results from 58 gay male couples yielded a significant main effect for attachment style pairing on responses to accommodative dilemmas. However, results from 53 lesbian couples yielded a marginal interaction effect involving partner (i.e., Partner 1 versus Partner 2) and attachment style pairing on responses to accommodative dilemmas. Implications for the study of personality characteristics and interpersonal behavior among lesbian and gay male couples are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of 116 dating individuals, gender differences were contrasted with sex differences as predictors of several measures of relationship quality (satisfaction, commitment, perceived social support, acceptance, and level of conflict).
Abstract: Both sex and gender predict relationship quality, but is one variable more important that the other? Does sex or gender predict relationship quality over other important factors such as attachment style and mental representations of close others? In this study of 116 dating individuals, gender differences were contrasted with sex differences as predictors of several measures of relationship quality (satisfaction, commitment, perceived social support, acceptance, and level of conflict). After controlling for sex, age, and relationship duration, femininity was found to predict positive relationship outcomes over and above attachment styles and significant–other concept measures. Significant–other concepts mediated this relationship. The combination of correlational data and regression analyses proves that femininity (regardless of sex) in both men and women contributes to positive, clear, and connected significant–other concepts that directly influence relationship quality.
TL;DR: The authors found that both mothers and fathers regarded emotional infidelity as more distressing than sexual infidelity when committed by a daughter-in-law than by a son-inlaw.
Abstract: Parents of undergraduates were asked whether they would be more distressed by the sexual or the emotional infidelity of their child’s partner. Comparing the responses of mothers and fathers may offer a rare, “crucial” instance in which evolutionary and socialization perspectives offer different predictions. Socialization theory, broadly conceived, predicts an effect for the gender of the parent: Consistent with their differing gender socialization histories, mothers should be more distressed by the emotional infidelity of their child’s partner, and fathers by the sexual infidelity of their child’s partner. In contrast, an evolutionary psychology approach predicts little or no effect for the sex of the parents: Both mothers and fathers should be more distressed by infidelities that pose a greater threat to their genetic interests. Results were largely consistent with the predictions derived from evolutionary psychology: Both mothers and fathers regarded sexual infidelity as more distressing when committed by a daughter–in–law than by a son–in–law, and emotional infidelity as more distressing when it involved a son–in–law rather than a daughter–in–law. Discussion centered on the theoretical implications of research that examines the behavior of those who are, genetically, one step removed from the sexual behavior of others, but still affected by the reproductive consequences of that behavior.
TL;DR: In this paper, three studies were conducted to examine whether the perception that men reach their sexual peak at a younger age than women is shared across individuals of different ages and sexes, and whether sexual peak is defined differently for men and women.
Abstract: Is a man’s sexual peak earlier than a woman’s? Three studies were conducted to examine (a) whether the perception that men achieve their sexual peak at a younger age than do women is shared across individuals of different ages and sexes, (b) whether sexual peak is defined differently for men and women, and (c) whether differences between definitions contribute to differences in the age at which men and women are perceived to reach sexual peak. Study 1 suggested that participants believed that females reach their sexual peak at an older age than do males. Study 2 indicated that the defining feature of sexual peak for males was sexual desire and for females was sexual satisfaction. Study 3 suggested that predictions of male sexual peak coincided with participants’ predictions of male age of highest desire and frequency, but not satisfaction, and that female sexual peak coincided with participants' predictions of female age of highest satisfaction but not frequency or desire. Discussion focuses on potential reasons for differences between the perception of male and female sexuality, as well as the social and evolutionary importance of each of the dimensions of sexuality for both males and females.
TL;DR: The buffering function of parental and partner bonding in the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms at old age was examined in this article, where a community sample of 194 people aged 65 years and older was interviewed.
Abstract: The buffering function of parental and partner bonding in the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms at old age was examined. A community sample of 194 people aged 65 years and older was interviewed. In particular, the control dimension of both parental and partner bonding seems to be of importance in relation to elderly depression: More psychological control is related to higher depression scores, and low partner control seems to work as a protective mechanism when negative life events are faced. Developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at optimizing bonding relationships throughout life seems advisable.