scholarly journals Taking Stock of Reality: Biased Perceptions of the Costs of Romantic Partners’ Sacrifices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariko L. Visserman ◽  
Francesca Righetti ◽  
Amy Muise ◽  
Emily A. Impett ◽  
Samantha Joel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Relationship

When romantic partners sacrifice their own self-interest to benefit the relationship, the sacrificer or recipient may—for various reasons—be biased in how they perceive the costs that the sacrificer incurs. In Study 1, romantic couples ( N = 125) rated their own and their partner’s costs after a conversation about a sacrifice in the laboratory, followed by extensive experience sampling in their natural environment. In Study 2, a preregistered experiment, individuals ( N = 775) imagined a scenario in which they, their partner, or an unknown person sacrificed and rated the associated costs and benefits. Both studies demonstrated a consistent discrepancy between perceptions of own and partner sacrifice, driven primarily by people underestimating their own sacrifice costs and overestimating the benefits (Study 2). Results across studies showed that this underestimation bias helps people to feel better and feel more satisfied in the relationship when giving up their own goals and preferences for the relationship.

scholarly journals A nice surprise: Sacrifice expectations and partner appreciation in romantic relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 450-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Zoppolat ◽  
Mariko L. Visserman ◽  
Francesca Righetti
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Relationship Maintenance ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Daily Experience ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Maintenance Behavior ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pro Social Behavior ◽  
The Sacrifice

Romantic partners regularly encounter conflicts of interests and sacrifice their self-interest for their partner or the relationship. But is this relationship maintenance behavior always appreciated by the partner receiving the sacrifice? We examined whether expectations of sacrifices (i.e., beliefs that sacrifices are necessary, normal, and expected in relationships) predict people’s appreciation for their partner and, ultimately, their relationship satisfaction. Utilizing a daily experience procedure among romantic couples in the Netherlands ( N = 253 individuals), we found that when participants perceived a partner’s sacrifice, they experienced greater partner appreciation (i.e., gratitude and respect) and, in turn, felt more satisfied with their relationship when their sacrifice expectations were low, rather than high. In contrast, perceiving a partner’s sacrifice had no effect on appreciation and relationship satisfaction when the sacrifice recipient held strong sacrifice expectations. These findings illustrate the power that expectations have in influencing the receiver’s appreciation of their partner’s pro-social behavior.

scholarly journals To “See” Is to Feel Grateful? A Quasi-Signal Detection Analysis of Romantic Partners’ Sacrifices

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariko L. Visserman ◽  
Emily A. Impett ◽  
Francesca Righetti ◽  
Amy Muise ◽  
Dacher Keltner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Total N ◽  
Daily Experience ◽  
Detection Analysis ◽  
Signal Detection Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

Although gratitude plays a central role in the quality of relationships, little is known about how gratitude emerges, such as in response to partners’ sacrifices. Do people need to accurately see these acts to feel grateful? In two daily experience studies of romantic couples (total N = 426), we used a quasi-signal detection paradigm to examine the prevalence and consequences of (in)accurately “seeing” and missing partners’ sacrifices. Findings consistently showed that sacrifices are equally likely to be missed as they are to be accurately detected, and about half of the time people “see” a sacrifice when the partner declares none. Importantly, “seeing” partners’ sacrifices—accurately or inaccurately—is crucial for boosting gratitude. In contrast, missed sacrifices fail to elicit gratitude, and the lack of appreciation negatively colors the partner’s satisfaction with the relationship when having sacrificed. Thus, these findings illustrate the power that perception holds in romantic couples’ daily lives.

scholarly journals Exploring how exchange orientation affects conflict and intimacy in the daily life of romantic couples

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 3575-3587
Author(s):  
Shoshana N. Jarvis ◽  
M. Joy McClure ◽  
Niall Bolger
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Diary Study ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Daily Diary Study ◽  
Exchange Orientation

We test the hypothesis that partners’ tendency to “keep score” in a relationship—as reflected in their exchange orientation—will moderate the effect of daily conflicts on their relationship evaluations. Cohabitating romantic partners ( N = 82 couples) participated in a 28-day daily diary study. Partners higher in exchange orientation showed lower intimacy with their partner on days with conflict compared to days without conflict; the effect was attenuated for partners lower in exchange orientation. This result held even while adjusting for daily negative affect. We conclude that close monitoring of costs and benefits in a relationship, a characteristic of partners with high exchange orientation, may lead partners to overreact to simple daily conflicts, to the detriment of relationship evaluations.

scholarly journals Exploring how exchange orientation affects conflict and intimacy in the daily life of romantic couples

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshana N Jarvis ◽  
M. Joy McClure ◽  
Niall Bolger
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Diary Study ◽  
Close Monitoring ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Romantic Couples ◽  
Daily Diary Study ◽  
Exchange Orientation

We test the hypothesis that partners’ tendency to “keep score” in a relationship–as reflected in their exchange orientation–will moderate the effect of daily conflicts on their relationship evaluations. Cohabitating romantic partners (N = 82 couples) participated in a 28-day daily diary study. Partners higher in exchange orientation showed lower intimacy with their partner on days with conflict compared to days without conflict; the effect was attenuated for partners lower in exchange orientation. This result held even while adjusting for daily negative affect. We conclude that close monitoring of costs and benefits in a relationship, a characteristic of partners with high exchange orientation, may lead partners to overreact to simple daily conflicts, to the detriment of relationship evaluations.

‘He Brought the Cold Death on my Harandra’: The Cosmic Trilogy and the Ecotheology of Laudato si'

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-182
Author(s):  
Maria Poggi Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
The Other ◽  
Space Travel ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
The Relationship

In his trilogy of space travel novels, published between 1938 and 1945, C.S. Lewis strikingly anticipates, and incarnates in imaginative form, the insights and concerns central to the modern discipline of ecotheology. The moral and spiritual battle that forms the plot of the novels is enacted and informed by the relationship between humans and the natural environment, Rebellion against, and alienation from, the Creator inevitably manifests in a violent and alienated attitude to creation, which is seen as something to be mastered and exploited. Lives and cultures in harmony with the divine will, on the other hand, are expressed in relationships of care and respect for the environment. The imaginative premise of the Trilogy is that of ecotheology; that the human relationships with God, neighbour, and earth and are deeply and inextricably intertwined.

On Sacrifice

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moshe Halbertal
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Life ◽  
Moral Value ◽  
Hierarchical Relationship ◽  
Ritual Violence ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Political Ideal ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
Political Associations ◽  
The Relationship

The idea and practice of sacrifice play a profound role in religion, ethics, and politics. This book explores the meaning and implications of sacrifice, developing a theory of sacrifice as an offering and examining the relationship between sacrifice, ritual, violence, and love. The book also looks at the place of self-sacrifice within ethical life and at the complex role of sacrifice as both a noble and destructive political ideal. In the religious domain, Halbertal argues, sacrifice is an offering, a gift given in the context of a hierarchical relationship. As such it is vulnerable to rejection, a trauma at the root of both ritual and violence. An offering is also an ambiguous gesture torn between a genuine expression of gratitude and love and an instrument of exchange, a tension that haunts the practice of sacrifice. In the moral and political domains, sacrifice is tied to the idea of self-transcendence, in which an individual sacrifices his or her self-interest for the sake of higher values and commitments. While self-sacrifice has great potential moral value, it can also be used to justify the most brutal acts. The book attempts to unravel the relationship between self-sacrifice and violence, arguing that misguided self-sacrifice is far more problematic than exaggerated self-love. Through the book's exploration of the positive and negative dimensions of self-sacrifice, it also addresses the role of past sacrifice in obligating future generations and in creating a bond for political associations, and considers the function of the modern state as a sacrificial community.

scholarly journals Does a National Park Enhance the Environment-Friendliness of Tourists as an Ecotourism Destination?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8321
Author(s):  
Eunseong Jeong ◽  
Taesoo Lee ◽  
Alan Dixon Brown ◽  
Sara Choi ◽  
Minyoung Son
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
National Park ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Sustainable Environment ◽  
The Relationship

Governments have designated national parks to protect the natural environment against ecosystem destruction and improve individuals’ emotional and recreational life. National parks enhance environment-friendly awareness by conducting ecotourism activities and individuals with environment-friendly awareness are inclined to continue to visit national parks as ecotourism destinations. The New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) is a widely used measure of environmental concern, suitable for measuring the environment-friendly attitude and revisit intention of visitors of national parks. Therefore, the study carried out structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationship between the NEP, national park conservation consciousness and environment-friendly behavioral intention. Based on the results, an implication is presented to induce national parks to cultivate individual environment-friendly awareness and for visitors to pursue sustainable, environment-friendly tourism behavior. The findings indicate that national parks are to expand educational programs and facilities for eco-tourists visiting national parks to maintain a balanced relationship between themselves and nature and have a strong environmental awareness to preserve the natural environment.

Stoicism and Verbal Aggression in Serial Arguments: The Roles of Perceived Power, Perceived Resolvability, and Frequency of Arguments

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199458
Author(s):  
Elle P. Johnson ◽  
Jennifer A. Samp
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Verbal Aggression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Repetitive Nature ◽  
Relational Partners ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Moderator ◽  
Perceived Power

Impelled by a desire to control, suppress, and deny emotional response, stoic individuals may act out their pent-up emotions on relational partners by provoking conflict and/or engaging in partner-directed violent and aggressive behaviors. However, little is known regarding what factors can push stoics over the edge from remaining quiet or avoiding revealing frustrations to initiating aggressive behavior. This relationship between stoicism and aggression is important to consider in serial arguments, where the repetitive nature of a conflict may become increasingly difficult for stoics to manage internally. Here, we examined the influence of stoicism on verbal aggression in serial arguments between romantic partners. We additionally considered the effects of power, perceived resolvability, and argument frequency on the relationship between stoicism and verbal aggression. Using a survey design with a sample of 281 individuals involved in a romantic relationship, we observed that stoicism is positively associated with verbal aggression in serial arguments. While perceived power and resolvability did not moderate the relationship between stoicism and verbal aggression, argument frequency about a serial argument topic was a significant moderator. The results of this study imply that stoicism plays an important role in explaining aggressive tactics in conflict. A high argument frequency about a conflict topic may lead to a buildup of unexpressed emotions, particularly anger, in stoic individuals, resulting in an explosive release of violence and aggression toward a romantic partner. Unique results on the relationship between stoicism and power and directions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Is there Such a Thing as a Good Profit? Taking Conventional Ethics Seriously

Philosophia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja K. Svanberg ◽  
Carl F. C. Svanberg
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Christian Ethics ◽  
Moral Justification ◽  
Profit Motive ◽  
Kantian Ethics ◽  
Ethical Theories ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis paper will show that if we take conventional ethics seriously, then there is no moral justification for business profits. To show this, we explore three conventional ethical theories, namely Christian ethics, Kantian ethics and Utilitarian ethics. Since they essentially reject self-interest, they also reject the essence of business: the profit motive. To illustrate the relationship, we will concretize how the anti-egoist perspective expresses itself in business and business ethics. In business, we look at what many businesses regard as proof of their virtue. In business ethics, we look at what many business ethicists say about the relationship between morality and self-interest and, thus, the profit motive. Ultimately, we will argue that conventional ethics can, at most, only justify the means of business (i.e., aspects of running a business), but not the end of business (i.e., profits).

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