Personality Similarity and Romantic Relationship Adjustment During the Couple Life Cycle

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lampis ◽  
Stefania Cataudella ◽  
Alessandra Busonera ◽  
Stefano Carta

Over the last decade, a substantial number of studies have focused on the role of personality traits and of the personality trait similarity/dissimilarity in partner selection and in predicting the quality of adult romantic relationships. The present study contributes to this general objective by investigating the correlations between levels of similarity/dissimilarity in partners’ personality profiles, analyzed through the Big Five dimensions, and levels of romantic relationship adjustment at different stage of a couple’s life course. A sample of Italian couples ( N = 92 couples; 184 individuals) completed the Big Five Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. The results revealed that similarity was not directly related with romantic relationship adjustment. Similarity only affected adjustment in interaction with the length of relationship. Partners reporting high levels of similarity in conscientiousness and openness showed the highest levels of romantic relationship adjustment during the first years of their relationship, while showing lower levels of adjustment as the relationship progressed. The lower levels of romantic relationship adjustment fell within the length of relationship range spanning between 10 and 21 years. These results suggest the importance of considering the life cycle perspective when studying the impact of personality similarity on romantic relationships, as well as suggesting the need to analyze the relationship between personality factors and interpersonal processes in a deeper way particularly in counseling and therapeutic contexts.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-30
Author(s):  
Danica J. Kulibert ◽  
Elle A. Moore ◽  
Melinda M. Dertinger ◽  
Ashley E. Thompson

Although romantic kissing is an important part of relationship functioning, little research has focused on motives for romantic kissing and how they may relate to other aspects of romantic relationships. To understand how romantic kissing impacts romantic relationship functioning, the current study assessed the relationship between romantic attachment, romantic kissing motives, and relationship satisfaction. Overall, it was hypothesized that (a) those reporting more sexual/explicit kissing motives and fewer goal attainment/insecurity motives would report higher relationship satisfaction, (b) those reporting a more secure attachment style would report higher relationship satisfaction, and (c) the relationship between romantic kissing motives and relationship satisfaction would vary according to one’s romantic attachment styles. Results from a hierarchical linear regression with 286 adults, all of whom were currently in romantic relationships, revealed that sexual/relational (β = 0.25) and goal attainment/insecurity kissing motives (β = -0.35) predicted relationship satisfaction. However, the impact of kissing motives on relationship satisfaction varied according to one’s romantic attachment. Specifically, the influence of sexual/relational motives was only significant for avoidantly attached individuals, whereas the influence of goal attainment/insecurity motives was significant for avoidantly and anxiously attachment individuals. Overall, this suggests that sexual/explicit romantic kissing motives serve to enhance the relationships of insecurely attached individuals, but not securely attached individuals. Furthermore, goal attainment/insecure motives had a negative effect on the relationship satisfaction of insecurely attached individuals, but not securely attached individuals. This study has important implications for both practitioners working with romantic couples and researchers studying romantic relationships.


Author(s):  
L. Fejes-Vékássy ◽  
A. Ujhelyi ◽  
L. Faragó

AbstractNowadays Social Media plays a key role in the formation, maintenance and breaking up of romantic relationships. Instagram, one of the most popular platforms among young adults, was examined by many researchers from the viewpoints of e.g. relationship goals, satisfaction and conflicts. These studies concentrate on the impact of online activities on relationships. With this current research our aim is to widen this perspective: we attempt to investigate how relational factors influence the use of the popular social network site. In Study 1 a qualitative approach was introduced (N = 18), in Study 2 participants (N = 238) reported in an online survey about their Instagram activity in various relationship statuses as well as relationship satisfaction and jealousy. We found that changes in the relationship status can be detected through the modification of Instagram usage. The characteristics of Instagram activity are significantly different at the beginning and at the end of a relationship. Furthermore, using cluster analysis we found that jealousy and relationship satisfaction are core predictors of post frequency, the amount of time spent with browsing and the importance of Instagram. In sum, the patterns of Instagram activity are strongly influenced by romantic relationship status.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110055
Author(s):  
Mylène Lachance-Grzela ◽  
Bingyu Liu ◽  
Andréanne Charbonneau ◽  
Geneviève Bouchard

This study examined the associations between ambivalent sexism (i.e., hostile and benevolent sexism) and relationship adjustment in young adult couples by testing an actor-partner interdependence model. The sample was composed of 219 cohabiting heterosexual Canadian couples. The findings suggest that ambivalent sexism plays a role in young adults’ perceptions of the quality of their romantic relationship, but gender differences exist. Women and men who more strongly endorsed hostile sexism tended to report lower relationship adjustment. Women’s hostile sexism was also negatively related to their partners’ relationship adjustment, whereas their benevolent sexism was positively related to their own and their partners’ relationship adjustment. For their part, men’s ambivalent sexism was unrelated to their partners’ relationship adjustment and their benevolent sexism was also unrelated to their own relationship adjustment. The results are discussed in light of the insidious consequences that can accompany ambivalent sexism. Even though hostile sexism functions to protect men’s societal advantages, it comes with costs to their romantic relationships. In contrast, despite the rewards benevolent sexism can bring on the relational level, its endorsement may hinder the attainment of gender equality by encouraging women to invest in their relationship at the expense of independent achievements.


2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 909-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loren Abell ◽  
Gayle Brewer

The present study investigated the relationship between Machiavellianism, envy, competition, and schadenfreude in women’s same-sex friendships. Women ( N = 133) completed an online questionnaire measuring Machiavellianism, envy, competition, and three author-generated vignettes measuring expressed schadenfreude in relation to a same-sex friend. Women with higher levels of Machiavellianism expressed greater feelings of pleasure in response to their same-sex friend’s misfortunes in a romantic relationship and their physical appearance but not in relation to academic abilities. Envy predicted feelings of schadenfreude in academic and romantic relationships while competition predicted feelings of schadenfreude in all three scenarios. Future research should explore how characteristics of the target and different forms of envy may influence responses to a friend’s misfortune in individuals with higher levels of Machiavellianism.


2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abira Reizer ◽  
Amir Hetsroni

This study examines whether media consumption predicted relationship quality among 188 college students who were involved in romantic relationships. The respondents assessed their commitment to the relationship, their satisfaction from the relationship, and their tendency to engage in conflicts within the relationship. Media consumption was measured by assessing the time dedicated to television viewing in general, watching specific genres, Internet use, and news-paper reading. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that total TV viewing time statistically predicted lower commitment to the relationship, while viewing of programming focusing on romantic relationships predicted lower satisfaction and stronger tendency to engage in conflicts. Consumption of media other than television and the control factors did not predict any indicator of relationship quality. The pattern of negative associations between TV viewing and relationship quality is discussed with reference to cultivation theory and mood management theory.


Author(s):  
Mayiana Mitevska ◽  
◽  
Paulina Tsvetkova

"A central theme in the present study is the assumption that the influence on the human behavior is mediated by different internal processes in the career choice. Emotional intelligence is defined as a variable which is a cause for the relationship between personality traits and the choice of a certain career. Three causal paths to the dependent variable were tracked – a path to the direct impact of the emotional intelligence on the career choice, a path to the influence of personality traits on the emotional intelligence as well as a path to the impact of personality traits on the career choice via the emotional intelligence. The aim of the study is to show the mediating role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between personality traits and career choice. A total of 100 Bulgarian secondary and university students (42 males and 58 females), aged 17-40 years, were included in the research. The following measures were used for the purpose of the study - Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Short Form (TEIQue-SF), The Big five questionnaire and the Big six method for career choices. The Bulgarian version of the emotional intelligence questionnaire was translated and adapted for Bulgarian sociocultural context by Antonina Kardasheva (Kardasheva, 2012). The Big five questionnaire and the Big six method for career choices were adapted for Bulgarian conditions by S. Karabelyova (Karabelyova, 2015). The results showed that there was a direct positive impact of the emotional intelligence on the relationship between the enterprising type and conscientiousness, the artistic type and neuroticism and a negative impact on the relationship between the conventional type and extraversion. The conclusions derived from the study could be used for further psychological research in the field, as well as for enhancing the knowledge of one’s personality."


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ruiz-Narezo ◽  
Rosa Santibáñez Gruber

This article presents the results of a non-experimental, quantitative cross-sectional study conducted on an adolescent group. The sample of adolescents was acquired from high schools and vocational training, where the relationship between the school climate, more specifically, the involvement, affiliation, and perception of help and violence that is both experienced and exercised between partners. The study sample consisted of 433 adolescents aged 12–19 years from four educational centers from a municipality of Greater Bilbao. Since there are analyses that refer specifically to romantic relationships, in those cases, the 67.7% (N = 275) of the sample that claims to have or have had a romantic relationship is considered. Finally, there was evidence to suggest the existence of influence between the school climate and the implication of violence in adolescent couples.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anca M. Miron ◽  
Frances H. Rauscher ◽  
Alexandra Reyes ◽  
David Gavel ◽  
Kourtney K. Lechner

We propose that an orientation toward relating to one's romantic partner via multiple sensory channels has beneficial effects for the relationship, especially for long-distance relationships. We used Wicklund's (2004) conceptualisation of full-dimensionality of relating and Brehm's (1999) emotional intensity theory to test the effects of a sensory multidimensional orientation and difficulty of maintaining the romantic relationship on feelings of love and commitment. In Study 1, we tested 55 participants involved in a long-distance romantic relationship and found that a multidimensional orientation fended off the detrimental effects of difficulty of maintaining the relationship: when partners experienced high difficulty, those with a high orientation experienced more positive affect, love, and commitment than those with a low orientation. In Study 2, data from 31 long-distance and 23 geographically-close participants indicated that a high multidimensionality orientation had a greater positive impact in long-distance relationships than in geographically-close relationships. In Study 3, 40 long-distance participants were asked to write about two times when it was either difficult but possible or nearly impossible to maintain their current relationship. Positive affect for the partner, love, and desire to be with the partner in the future were highest for the participants in the possible condition who preferred relating to the partner on multiple sensory channels. Altogether, these studies underline the importance of multidimensional orientation in romantic relationships, especially when intimates perceive maintaining the relationship as being difficult but manageable. Theoretical and practical implications of this new concept of sensory multidimensionality orientation are discussed.


2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Ekehammar ◽  
Nazar Akrami

The relationship between Big Five personality (measured by the NEO‐PI) and prejudice was examined using a variable‐ and a person‐centred approach. Big Five scores were related to a generalized prejudice factor based on seven different prejudice scales (racial prejudice, sexism, etc). A correlation analysis disclosed that Openness to Experience and Agreeableness were significantly related to prejudice, and a multiple regression analysis showed that a variable‐centred approach displayed a substantial cross‐validated relationship between the five personality factors and prejudice. A cluster analysis of the Big Five profiles yielded, in line with previous research, three personality types, but this person‐centred approach showed a low cross‐validated relationship between personality and prejudice, where the overcontrolled type showed the highest prejudice and the undercontrolled the lowest, with the resilient falling in between. A head‐to‐head comparison sustained the conclusion that, based on people's Big Five personalities, their generalized prejudice could be predicted more accurately by the variable‐ than the person‐centred approach. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schredl ◽  
Alina Noveski

Most studies looking into the relationship between lucid dream frequency and personality were based on questionnaire measures of lucid dream frequency. Thus, the aim was to investigate the effect of keeping a dream diary on lucid dream frequency and the correlates of the frequency of lucid dreams in the diary with the Big Five personality factors. The study included 1,612 dreams reported by 425 persons. The present findings showed that lucid dreams are quite rare (1.36%) in an unselected student sample. The frequency of lucid dream in the 2-week diary period was lower than the retrospectively estimated lucid dream frequency. Whereas the negative association between lucid dream frequency and agreeableness was reported previously, the negative correlation between lucid dream frequency and neuroticism is a new finding. Furthermore, the exploratory analysis showed that a considerable number of lucid dreams did not include some form of dream control. Furthermore, it would be very interesting to study the relationship between personality, especially neuroticism and agreeableness, and lucid dreaming in a more detailed way.


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