scholarly journals How Interdependent are Stay/Leave Decisions? On Staying in the Relationship for the Sake of the Romantic Partner

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Joel ◽  
Emily Impett ◽  
Stephanie Spielmann ◽  
Geoff MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Investment Model ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
The Self ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Model Components ◽  
The Relationship

The decision to end a romantic relationship can have a life-changing impact on the partner as well as the self. Research on close relationships has thus far focused on self-interested reasons why people choose to stay in their relationship versus leave. However, a growing body of research on decision-making and prosociality shows that when people make decisions that impact others, they take those others’ feelings and perspectives into consideration. In the present research, we tested the prediction that people make stay/leave decisions prosocially, such that consideration for their romantic partner’s feelings can discourage people from ending their relationships. In Study 1, a total of 1,348 participants in romantic relationships were tracked over a ten-week period. Study 2 was a preregistered replication and extension of Study 1, in which 500 participants contemplating a breakup were followed over a two-month period. Both studies showed that the more dependent people believed their partner was on the relationship, the less likely they were to initiate a breakup. These findings held above and beyond a variety of self-focused variables (e.g., investment model components; Rusbult, Martz, & Agnew, 1998). These results suggest that people can be motivated to stay in relatively unfulfilling relationships for the sake of their romantic partner.

Responses to dissatisfaction in friendships and romantic relationships: An interpersonal script analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1651-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Harasymchuk ◽  
Beverley Fehr
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Close Friend ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Relationship Context ◽  
Script Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

According to interpersonal script models, people’s responses to relational events are shaped by the reaction they expect from a close other. We analyzed responses to dissatisfaction in close relationships from an interpersonal script perspective. Participants reported on how a close friend or romantic partner would react to their expressions of dissatisfaction (using the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect typology). They were also asked to forecast whether the issue would be resolved (i.e., anticipated outcomes). Our main hypothesis was that people’s expectations for how a close other would respond to dissatisfaction would be dependent on their own self response. Further, we predicted that passive responses would be more common and viewed as less deleterious to a friendship than a romantic relationship. Results indicated that the responses that were expected from close others were contingent on how self responded. Moreover, as predicted, these contingencies followed different tracks depending on the type of relationship. Friends were more likely to expect passive responses to self’s expression of dissatisfaction, especially if self responded with neglect, whereas romantic partners expected more active responses. Furthermore, people anticipated that the issue would be more likely to be resolved if their friend (vs. romantic partner) responded passively and less actively (especially for destructive responses). It was concluded that people hold complex, nuanced interpersonal scripts for dissatisfaction and that these scripts vary, depending on the relationship context.

scholarly journals Relevance of components of Investment Model and some variables in close relationships with high and low self-monitoringYakın ilişkilerde Yatırım Modeli unsurlarının ve bazı değişkenlerin yüksek ve düşük izlenim ayarlamacılığı ile ilgisi

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 932
Author(s):  
Hanzade Aslan Yılmaz ◽  
Selim Hovardaoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Investment Model ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Relationship Investment ◽  
The Relationship

<p>The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between some variables related to close relationships (expectation of the relationship duration, loyalty to the relation, finding the partner attractive, evaluating the quality of the relationship positively, having issues in the relationship, reliance on the relationship, the wish that she/he had never started the relationship, finding the relationship important, happiness with the partner) and the components of Investment Model (relationship satisfaction, quality of alternatives, relationship investment) with self-monitoring which is a variable related to the self concept. For this aim, married or not, 472 participants which have a romantic relationship, completed a personal information form, Snyder’s Self-monitoring Scale (Bacanlı, 1990; Snyder, 1974) and Relationship Stability Scale (Büyükşahin, Hasta,&amp; Hovardaoğlu, 2005; Rusbult, Martz, &amp;Agnew,1998). A logistic regression is conducted to investigate whether the components of Investment Model are relevant to any self-monitoring groups (high self-monitoring or low self-monitoring). Results indicated that quality of alternatives (positively) and having issues in the relationship (negatively) are related to high self-monitoring. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical approaches.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Özet</strong></p><p>Bu araştırmada yakın ilişkilerle ilgili bazı değişkenlerin (ilişki süresine ilişkin beklenti, ilişkiye bağlılık, partneri çekici bulmak, ilişkinin niteliğini olumlu değerlendirmek, ilişkide sorun yaşamak, ilişkide güvende hissetmek, ilişkiye hiç başlamamış olmayı istemek, ilişkiyi önemli bulmak, partnerle mutluluk) ve Yatırım Modeli’nin (Investment Model) unsurları (ilişki doyumu, seçeneklerin niteliğinin değerlendirme, ilişki yatırımı) ile benlik kavramıyla ilişkili izlenim ayarlamacılığı (self-monitoring) değişkeninin ilgili olup olmadığının test edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla, (evli ya da evli olmayan) bir romantik ilişkisi bulunan 472 kişiye kişisel bilgi formu, Kendini Ayarlama Ölçeği (Bacanlı, 1990; Snyder, 1974) ve İlişki İstikrarı Ölçeği (Büyükşahin, Hasta ve Hovardaoğlu, 2005; Rusbult, Martz ve Agnew,1998) uygulanmıştır. Yapılan lojistik regresyon analizi ile araştırma kapsamında ele alınan ve yakın ilişkilerle ilgili değişkenlerin ve Yatırım Modeli unsurlarının yüksek ya da düşük izlenim ayarlamacılığı gruplarından herhangi biriyle ilgili olup olmadığı test edilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda seçeneklerin niteliğini değerlendirme (pozitif olarak) ve ilişkide sorun yaşama  (negatif olarak) değişkenlerinin yüksek izlenim ayarlamacılığı ile ilgili olduğu bulunmuştur. Sonuçlar kuramsal yaklaşımlar çerçevesinde tartışılmıştır.</p>

scholarly journals Machiavellianism and Schadenfreude in Women’s Friendships

2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 909-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loren Abell ◽  
Gayle Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Physical Appearance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Academic Abilities ◽  
The Relationship

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.

Media Exposure and Romantic Relationship Quality: A Slippery Slope?

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abira Reizer ◽  
Amir Hetsroni
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Media Consumption ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Tv Viewing ◽  
Mood Management ◽  
Control Factors ◽  
The Relationship

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.

scholarly journals School Climate and Peer Victimization. Involvement, Affiliation and Help Perceived in School Centers as Protective Factors against Violent Behavior in Adolescent Couples

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ruiz-Narezo ◽  
Rosa Santibáñez Gruber
Keyword(s):  
School Climate ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Adolescent Group ◽  
The Relationship

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.

scholarly journals Attachment and Images of Parents and of the Romantic Partner of Russian Young Men and Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Natalia Sabelnikova ◽  
Dmitry Kashirsky ◽  
Olga Garvard
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Interpersonal Behavior ◽  
Men And Women

The study investigated young adults’ perceptions of their parents and romantic partners with respect to the quality of attachment to the loved ones. The sample consisted of 78 young Russian men and women aged 19–25 involved in a romantic relationship for at least for 12 months. The employed instruments were the Attachment to Close People Questionnaire (ACOQ), based on the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire, the Adolescents’ Report of Parental Behavior Inventory, and Leary’s Interpersonal Behavior Measure. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the attachment to the mother contributed to attachment to the romantic partner more than the attachment to the father. The attachment security with the partner was associated with the image of the partner.

Heterosexual Romantic Relationships, Interpersonal Needs, and Quality of Life in Prison

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo J. Carcedo ◽  
Daniel Perlman ◽  
Félix López ◽  
M. Begoña Orgaz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Sexual Satisfaction ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Sexual Life ◽  
Female Inmates ◽  
Partner Status ◽  
Interpersonal Needs ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of having vs. not having a heterosexual romantic partner inside the prison on the relationship between interpersonal needs and quality of life. In-person interviews were conducted with 55 male and 64 female inmates from the Topas Penitentiary (Spain). Higher levels of social loneliness and lower levels of sexual satisfaction were associated with lower levels of quality of life. In addition, the interaction between sexual satisfaction and romantic partner status was significant. Higher levels of sexual satisfaction were associated with higher levels of quality of life only for the group without a partner. These findings support a “bad is stronger than good” principle and indicate the detrimental aspects that can be associated with not having a satisfactory sexual life while incarcerated.

Power and Influence Strategies in Violent and Nonviolent Marriages

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Hanson Frieze ◽  
Maureen C. McHugh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Influence Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Dimension ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

How important is the use of physical violence in determining the balance of power within marriage? Do women in violent marriages make more use of indirect strategies in attempting to persuade their husbands than do women in nonviolent marriages? Is marital satisfaction related to influence styles? These questions are investigated by looking at decision making in couples and how this is related to the forms of influence strategies used by wives and husbands in violent and nonviolent marriages. Data from in-depth structured interviews with 137 self-identified battered wives and 137 comparison wives, some of whom were also found to have experienced violence from their husbands, are used to answer these questions. Results indicated that women with violent husbands used more influence strategies overall, although these women had less overall power in terms of decision making than did women with nonviolent husbands. The relationship of influence strategies to decision making was different for women with violent husbands than for those whose husbands were not violent. As expected, the use of coercive strategies related negatively to marital happiness, whereas positive strategies were positively predictive. Violence and other negative strategies should be included in future research on influence strategies in close relationships, and a positive–negative dimension should be included as a way of categorizing influence strategies.

Full-Dimensionality of Relating in Romantic Relationships

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anca M. Miron ◽  
Frances H. Rauscher ◽  
Alexandra Reyes ◽  
David Gavel ◽  
Kourtney K. Lechner
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Long Distance Relationships ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
High Orientation ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

scholarly journals Longitudinal changes in emerging adults’ attachment preferences for their mother, father, friends, and romantic partner

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomo Umemura ◽  
Lenka Lacinová ◽  
Petr Macek ◽  
E. Saskia Kunnen
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Time Points ◽  
The Family ◽  
Latent Difference Score

Only a few studies have longitudinally explored to whom emerging adults prefer to turn to seek closeness, comfort, and security (called “attachment preferences”), and previous studies on attachment preferences in emerging adults have focused only on the beginning of romantic relationships but not on the end of relationships. Czech emerging adults ( M = 21.47; SD = 1.48) completed the questionnaire of attachment preferences at two time points, Wave 1 (Summer 2013) and Wave 2 (Summer 2014). Latent difference score analyses revealed that emerging adults who were not in a romantic relationship in Wave 1 but started a romantic relationship between the two waves ( n = 97) and those who had a romantic partner in both waves ( n = 379) were both more likely to increase their attachment preference for the romantic partner and decrease their preference for friends, whereas those who did not start a relationship ( n = 185) were not. Emerging adults who were in a romantic relationship in Wave 1 but were not in Wave 2 ( n = 69) decreased their preference for the partner and increased their preference for friends. In all the groups, attachment preferences for the mother, for the father, or for the family did not change. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that for those who had a romantic partner in both waves, their length of romantic relationship was associated with changes in attachment preferences for romantic partners and for friends.

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