Eye of the beholder: The individual and dyadic contributions of empathic accuracy and perceived empathic effort to relationship satisfaction.

Empathic accuracy (EA), the ability to understand a close other’s thoughts and feelings, is linked to relationship satisfaction. Yet, it is unclear whether stress interferes with relationship partners’ ability to be empathically accurate. The present study investigates whether a major life stressor, the transition to parenthood (TTP), interferes with EA between partners. In a daily diary study of 78 couples expecting their first child, couples reported on their own and their partners’ daily mood for 3 weeks during three separate time periods across the TTP: pregnancy, infancy, and toddlerhood. Both mothers and their partners demonstrated EA across the TTP. However, there was evidence that the transition interfered with EA: Partners’ ability to track mothers’ negative mood dropped significantly during infancy and remained low in toddlerhood, whereas mothers’ ability to track their partners’ positive mood dropped significantly in infancy and recovered in toddlerhood. This suggests that one way in which a major life stressor, in this case, the TTP, may interfere with relationship functioning is by decreasing couples’ understanding of each other’s mood states.

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IMAGINING PARTNER LOSS AND MORTALITY SALIENCE: CONSEQUENCES FOR ROMANTIC-RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2003.31.2.167 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 167-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Eric D. Miller

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Mortality Salience ◽

Romantic Partner ◽

Personality Characteristics ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Positive Experience ◽

The Individual ◽

Romantic Relationship Satisfaction

As hypothesized, imagining the death of one's romantic partner (for those currently involved in a romantic relationship for at least one continuous year) enhanced relationship satisfaction; unexpectedly, imagining one's own death did not markedly affect relationship satisfaction (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 found that imagining the death of one's partner has an impact similar to imagining a positive experience with one's partner regarding relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, imagining the death of one's romantic partner causes the individual to favorably change his/her perceptions of certain personality characteristics of the partner. Experiment 3 examined the interactive effects that certain personality traits had on imagining either the death of oneself or of one's romantic partner with respect to self-reported relation-ship satisfaction. The applied and theoretical implications of this research are extensively discussed.

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Minding the Close Relationship

Personality and Social Psychology Review ◽

10.1207/s15327957pspr0103_3 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 224-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

John H. Harvey ◽

Julia Omarzu

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Analysis ◽

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Close Relationships ◽

Empathic Accuracy ◽

The Other ◽

Self Disclosure ◽

Long Period ◽

Social Penetration ◽

Close Relationship ◽

The Relationship

In this theoretical analysis, we argue that a process referred to as minding is essential for a couple to feel mutually close and satisfied in a close relationship overa long period. Minding represents a package of mutual self-disclosure, other forms of goal-oriented behavior aimed at facilitating the relationship, and attributions about self's and other's motivations, intentions, and effort in the relationship. Self-disclosure and attribution activities in minding are aimed at getting to know the other, trying to understand the other's motivations and deeper dispositions as they pertain to the relationship, and showing respect and acceptance for knowledge gained about other. We link the concept of minding to other major ideas and literatures about how couples achieve closeness: self-disclosure and social penetration, intimacy, empathy and empathic accuracy, and love and self-expansion. We argue that the minding process articulated here has not previously been delineated and that it is a useful composite notion about essential steps in bonding among humans. We also argue that the minding concept stretches our understanding of the interface of attribution and close relationships. We present research possibilities and implications and consider possible alternative positions and counterarguments about the merits of the minding idea for close relationship satisfaction.

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Relationship Quality in Early Adult Individuals That Are in Long-Distance Relationships

Psychosophia: Journal of Psychology, Religion, and Humanity ◽

10.32923/psc.v3i2.1858 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 141-155

Author(s):

Danny Sanjaya Arfensia ◽

Putu Diana Wulandari ◽

Respianto Respianto ◽

Satria Kamal Agassi ◽

Riris Ristiana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Long Distance ◽

Study Approach ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Analysis Technique ◽

Long Distance Relationships ◽

The Individual ◽

Distance Relationship ◽

The Relationship

Technological advances make communication easier for couples who have long-distance relationships. The quality of the relationship between a couple who being apart and being together is not necessarily the same, especially when it comes to intimacy. This study aims to determine the quality of relationships in early adults who undergo long-distance relationships. The qualitative research method was chosen with a case study approach that focuses on how the individual interacts in long-distance relationships. Data collection techniques in this study using interviews. The subjects of this study were 2 early adult couples who had a long-distance relationship between Surabaya and outside Surabaya and the couple had been in a relationship for at least 1 year. The data analysis technique used in this research is thematic analysis technique theory driven. The results indicate that respondent 1 shows relationship satisfaction despite feeling uncomfortable with the relationship being undertake. Respondent 2 showed relationship satisfaction but not appreciate his partner's achievements. From these results can be concluded that the quality of the relationship of each partner who has a long-distance relationship is different.

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Associations Between Daily Positive Communication and Sexual Desire and Satisfaction: A Comparison Between Traditional Analyses and Machine Learning

10.31234/osf.io/7wxv6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christine Leistner ◽

Laura Marika Vowels ◽

Matthew J Vowels ◽

Kristen Mark

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Sexual Satisfaction ◽

Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽

Sexual Desire ◽

Communication Strategies ◽

Linear Modeling ◽

Positive Communication ◽

The Individual ◽

Data Analytic

Communication is an important component of many healthy sexual and romantic relationships. Positive communication strategies including expressing fondness and affection, exchanging compliments, and disclosing information about oneself with a partner are associated with relationship and sexual satisfaction, but less is known about its association to sexual desire. Most of the current literature has used traditional statistical analyses that assume errors are normally distributed and that associations between variables are linear. Our study aimed to examine the ways daily levels of four positive communication strategies are associated with relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and sexual desire among 246 mixed sex couples (N = 492). We also compared traditional hierarchical linear modeling with machine learning to compare results from the different data analytic techniques. Findings indicated that daily positive communication received from a partner was associated with all outcome variables of interest that day for both partners in the couple. All positive communication strategies predicted daily levels of desire, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction for the individual and each had unique associations with partner outcomes. Unique nonlinear interactions were found using machine learning. Findings have implications for practitioners and provide insight into the differences in findings between traditional analyses and machine learning.

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Dyadic Successful Aging and the Limits of Agency

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2779 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 755-755

Author(s):

Markus Klingel

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Late Life ◽

The Self ◽

Individual Agency ◽

Dyadic Satisfaction ◽

The Individual ◽

Crucial Part ◽

Over Time

Abstract With increasing life expectancy, late life has become a longer, crucial part of the individual and dyadic life course. New opportunities, tasks and decisions emerged. Successful aging norms emphasize agency and autonomy. This can be activating, but also alienating. With increasing constraints, agency is limited and ideals of autonomy become dysfunctional. This challenges also relationships. Aging, functional losses and approaching death threaten dyadic satisfaction and functionality. Potentially, successful aging norms could erode dyadic solidarity when needed the most: in late life. This mixed-methods longitudinal study combines interviews and questionnaires at three observations across five years. Its focus lies on change over time and findings at observation three. The sample consists of eight German couples (78-86 years old, 50-65 years married, high relationship satisfaction, white, urban). What does aging mean for individualized actors? How do aging couples negotiate, decide and act on aging, autonomy and death? How do successful aging norms modulate dyadic aging? Overall, actors have internalized successful aging and benefit by influencing their health positively. However, this has become ambivalent. Actors increasingly perceive their future as limited and beyond individual control. Acceptance of losses that challenge the self is difficult, autonomy ideals burdensome and death salient. As individual agency is constrained, the dyad is still a functional stronghold against aging. Yet, it has to adapt as well to – potentially differential - individual aging. Losses can and do threaten couples’ functional and emotional unity. Four patterns of self-dyad dynamics emerged and exemplify tensions between individualized and dyadic successful aging.

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Impact of Attachment Styles on Relationship Satisfaction: Mediating Role of Phubbing Behavior

IBT Journal of Business Studies ◽

10.46745/ilma.jbs.2019.15.01.13 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 161-169

Author(s):

Marryam Shams ◽

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Relational Satisfaction ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Individual ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Being a technology driven and triggered world, it is extremely important for the individuals to remain virtually connected. But sometimes such virtual connections lead the individuals towards phubbing because of which relational satisfaction among the individuals has been lost. The purpose of our study is to analyze the impact of the individual attachment styles on the relationship satisfaction by the mediating role of phubbing behavior. In light of Bowlby attachments styles our study conceptualizes that secured individuals are contended with their surrounding’s hence phubless, and remain contended in their relationships. Whereas the insecurely attached individuals are the ones who phubbed more which ultimately leads them towards less relationship satisfaction. The present study is the first to conceptualize such framework.

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Shared leave, happier parent couples? Parental leave and relationship satisfaction in Germany

Journal of European Social Policy ◽

10.1177/09589287211056187 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 095892872110561

Author(s):

Kristina Goldacker ◽

Janna Wilhelm ◽

Susanne Wirag ◽

Pia Dahl ◽

Tanja Riotte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Parental Leave ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Early Years ◽

Heterosexual Couples ◽

Difference In Difference ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

The Individual ◽

The Impact

This study investigates how parental leave policies and uptake may impact heterosexual couples’ relationship satisfaction. It focuses on Germany as an example of a country with a history of familialist policies and long maternal leaves that has recently undergone a significant policy shift. We extend the literature by examining the effects of maternal and paternal leave duration on both partners’ relationship satisfaction while distinguishing between the length of solo, joint and overall leave. The study applies two different methods on data from the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam). First, the study applies fixed-effects regression models ( n = 1046 couples) to investigate the impact of parental leave duration on the change in mothers’ and fathers’ satisfaction over the child’s early years. Second, drawing on exogenous variation as a result of the parental leave reform of 2007, which shortened paid leave for mothers and incentivised fathers’ leave take-up, difference-in-difference analyses ( n = 1403 couples) analyse reform effects on relationship satisfaction of parents with 3-year-old children. The fixed-effects models indicated a consistent negative impact of maternal – especially solo – leave duration on both mothers’ and fathers’ relationship satisfaction. No significant effects of paternal leave length were found. The difference-in-difference approach revealed a positive reform effect on mothers’ relationship satisfaction. In combination, these results suggest that the reduction in maternal leave as part of the reform has had a greater impact on couples’ relationship quality than the relatively short duration of leave taken by most fathers after the introduction of the individual leave entitlement.

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The Effects of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication on Relationship Satisfaction in Thaigerman Couples

MANUSYA ◽

10.1163/26659077-02101002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 20-38

Author(s):

Martina Beg

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Nonverbal Communication ◽

Personal Space ◽

Communication Satisfaction ◽

Strong Positive Correlation ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Third Language ◽

Survey Results ◽

The Individual ◽

Mutual Communication

This study aims to explore the ways in which Thai-German couples perceive their mutual verbal and nonverbal communication as causing them dissatisfaction in their daily lives. Furthermore, it investigates the extent to which the partners’ mutual communication satisfaction is correlated to the general satisfaction with their relationship. A mixed-methods approach was used for data collection. The data were collected from 544 questionnaire respondents and 11 interviewees. Data analysis employed statistical analyses for quantitative data (2 sets of questionnaires), and text analysis for the individual indepth interview. The survey results indicated a strong positive correlation between communication satisfaction and relationship satisfaction: r (531) = +.62, p < .001, while the interviews narrowed down the specific communicational problems for the Thai-German couples. These included linguistic skills, accent, pronunciation, grammar, different styles of communicating (direct vs. indirect communication), and differences in emotional expressiveness. Meaningful contrasts were found in the use of humor, eye contact, smiling, intimate touch and personal space. Patterns of conflict management were described, as well as the phenomena of double cultural identity and third language building, which were present in successful relationships.

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