scholarly journals Self-Expansion in Intercultural Relationships: Cultural Integration as a Mechanism for the Association with Relationship Quality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanieh Naeimi ◽  
Amy Muise ◽  
SHaRe Lab
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Cultural Integration ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Intercultural Relationships ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intercultural Couples ◽  
Cultural Inclusion ◽  
Over Time

Intercultural romantic relationships, in which partners have different cultural backgrounds, are increasingly common. Intercultural marriages, however, remain relatively rare, accounting for only 5% of all unions in Canada. Intercultural couples may face additional barriers in maintaining their relationships over time, including reconciling their cultural and couple identities (identity integration) and communicating effectively about cultural differences (cultural inclusion). Despite these challenges, intercultural relationships may also provide opportunities for self-expansion – novelty or growth as a result of the relationship or a partner’s culture. Across three studies we tested the prediction that self-expansion in intercultural relationships would be associated with higher relationship satisfaction and lower conflict through cultural integration processes. In Studies 1 and 2—a cross-sectional study of people in intercultural relationships (N=242) and a dyadic study of intercultural couples (N=312)—we found that self-expansion (both in general, and specific to partners’ cultures) was associated with higher relationship quality through greater integration and cultural inclusion. In Study 3—a pre-registered experimental study (N=342)–we found that although people in a cultural self-expansion group reported higher relationship satisfaction compared to a control group, cultural integration processes did not mediate this relationship. Our findings reveal that sharing cultural differences and novel experiences can be beneficial for intercultural couples, extending self-expansion theory to intercultural relationships and providing insight into the maintenance of satisfaction over time.

scholarly journals Intercultural couples’ internal stress, relationship satisfaction, and dyadic coping

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Holzapfel ◽  
Ashley K. Randall ◽  
Chun Tao ◽  
Masumi Iida
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Internal Stress ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Dyadic Coping ◽  
Coping Behaviors ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intercultural Couples ◽  
Main Association ◽  
Main Effects

Intercultural couples - partners from two different countries - may face increased levels of stress within their relationship (internal stress). Although internal stress is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, communication of such stress can help foster partners’ coping behaviors. Specifically, partners can engage in positive dyadic coping (DC) to help lower stress levels and improve relationship satisfaction. Despite the wealth of research on DC, examination of the associations of stress communication and DC in intercultural couples has been limited. To address this gap in the literature, this study used a sample of 73 self-identified heterosexual intercultural couples to examine their perceptions of internal stress, and associations between DC and relationship satisfaction. Cross-sectional survey data revealed negative main effects for both individuals’ own and their partner’s perceptions of internal stress on relationship satisfaction, and positive main effects for all forms of positive DC with relationship satisfaction. Stress communication by oneself moderated the association between partner’s perceived internal stress and one’s own relationship satisfaction, such that relationship satisfaction was higher when partners reported more engagement in stress communication at lower levels of internal stress. However, there were no significant main association between negative DC and relationship satisfaction, or significant moderations for any type of DC. Implications for relationship researchers and mental health professionals working with intercultural couples are discussed.

Secrets, Psychological Health, and the Fear of Discovery

2020 ◽  
pp. 014616722094619
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Davis ◽  
Hannah Brazeau ◽  
Elisabeth Bailin Xie ◽  
Kathleen McKee
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Over Time

Keeping secrets from one’s partner has been associated with lower well-being and relationship satisfaction. Previous research has suggested that individual differences in self-concealment account for these effects. However, we propose that the fear of discovery (FoD)—defined as the fear that one’s secret may be revealed by means other than deliberate disclosure—predicts the extent to which secrets affect well-being beyond the effects attributable to individual differences. Both a cross-sectional and a longitudinal survey (combined N = 471; 54.4% female; Mage = 39.5) of adults in romantic relationships confirmed that FoD predicted greater preoccupation with the secret, more negative affect, and less relationship satisfaction and commitment beyond that of self-concealment. Multilevel modeling in Study 2 indicated that changes in FoD predicted changes in preoccupation over time. The data are consistent with the notion that FoD promotes greater preoccupation, greater negative affect, and lower levels of relationship well-being.

Changes in Sabbath-Keeping and Mental Health Over Time: Evaluation Findings From the Sabbath Living Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 009164712110462
Author(s):  
Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell ◽  
Beth Stringfield ◽  
Jia Yao ◽  
Jessica Choi ◽  
David Eagle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Sabbath Keeping

Work-related stress is experienced at a high level in the United States. Clergy are particularly likely to over-extend themselves to act on their sacred call. Sabbath-keeping may offer a practice that is beneficial for mental health, yet many Protestant clergy do not keep a regular Sabbath. We examined whether United Methodist clergy who attended informative Sabbath-keeping workshops reported changes in spiritual well-being and mental health post-workshop. Compared to baseline, at 3 and 9 months post-workshop, participants reported an increase in Sabbath-keeping. In adjusted random effects and Poisson models, compared to not changing Sabbath-keeping frequency, increasing Sabbath-keeping was related to only one outcome: greater feelings of personal accomplishment at work. Decreasing Sabbath-keeping was related to worse anxiety symptoms, lower spiritual well-being in ministry scores, and a higher probability of having less than flourishing mental health. For four outcomes, there were no significant associations with changes in Sabbath-keeping over time. Although lacking a control group, this study adds to cross-sectional Sabbath-keeping studies by correlating changes in Sabbath-keeping with changes in mental health outcomes over time.

The Principle of Least Interest

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1255-1280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Sprecher ◽  
Maria Schmeeckle ◽  
Diane Felmlee
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Emotional Involvement ◽  
Longitudinal Sample ◽  
Dating Couples ◽  
Retrospective Perceptions ◽  
Over Time

Data from a longitudinal sample of dating couples (some of whom married) were analyzed to test the aspect of Waller’s (1938) principle of least interest that states that unequal emotional involvement between romantic partners has implications for relationship quality and stability. Both members of the couples were asked multiple times over several years which partner, if either, was more emotionally involved. Perceptions of unequal emotional involvement were common and tended to remain stable over time. Less emotionally involved partners perceived themselves as having more control over the continuation of their relationships. Equal emotional involvement was associated with greater relationship satisfaction and stability. Concurrent and retrospective perceptions of relative emotional involvement were associated with several aspects of relationship breakup within the subsample of those who broke up during the study. Perceptions of emotional involvement have many implications for dating couples, including being linked to relationship satisfaction and other outcomes.

scholarly journals The Power of Potential: Relational Self-Expansion Potential and Daily Self-Expansion Behaviors Uniquely Contribute to Relationship Quality Over Time

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiersten Dobson ◽  
Sarah C. E. Stanton ◽  
Aishwarya Veeravalli
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relational Self ◽  
Daily Experience ◽  
The Future ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Over Time

Self-expansion experiences include perceptions of potential (i.e., beliefs about how self-expanding a relationship could be in the future) and behaviors (i.e., engaging in actual self-expanding activities). In two preregistered dyadic daily experience studies, we examined whether self-expansion potential is an antecedent to behavioral self-expansion, and how potential and behavioral self-expansion uniquely and synergistically predict relationship satisfaction and commitment daily and over time. Results revealed that self-expansion potential prospectively predicted behavioral self-expansion in both studies. Moreover, both self-expansion potential and behaviors separately predicted greater relationship satisfaction and commitment daily (Studies 1-2) and two months later (Study 2), with potential being a stronger predictor than behaviors. The evidence for self-expansion potential protecting satisfaction and commitment when couples did not engage in daily self-expanding activities, however, was somewhat inconclusive. Implications regarding the power of potential to impact relationships are discussed, including the need for future research to consider this important facet of self-expansion.

The Dynamics of Self–Esteem in Partner Relationships

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Mund ◽  
Christine Finn ◽  
Birk Hagemeyer ◽  
Julia Zimmermann ◽  
Franz J. Neyer
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Initial Correlations ◽  
Partner Relationships ◽  
As Relationship ◽  
Dynamic Interplay

Previous research on the role of self–esteem in partner relationships indicates that it is both predictive of and predicted by variables such as relationship satisfaction. However, most of these studies were constrained to only relationship satisfaction, cross–sectional or individual data. In the present study, we examine the dynamic interplay between self–esteem and both broad (i.e. relationship satisfaction) and specific aspects of relationship quality (independence and connectedness) reflecting the fulfilment of agentic and communal needs in stable partner relationships from both an intrapersonal perspective and an interpersonal perspective. Study 1 assessed 186 individuals at three measurement occasions over 15 years and suggests a common developmental dynamic between self–esteem and relationship satisfaction, as indicated by initial correlations and correlated changes. In Study 2, actor and partner effects in stable couples ( N = 2124 dyads) were examined over a period of three years. It was found that self–esteem and all three aspects of relationship quality are dynamically intertwined in such a way that both previous levels and changes in one domain predict later changes in the other domain. Together, the findings indicate that self–esteem is consequential for the development of a variety of relationship aspects but likewise influenced by these very aspects. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals Singlehood and Attunement of Self-Esteem to Friendships

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062098846
Author(s):  
Alexandra N. Fisher ◽  
Danu Anthony Stinson ◽  
Joanne V. Wood ◽  
John G. Holmes ◽  
Jessica J. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Friendship Quality ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Over Time

Romantic relationships activate a process of psychological attunement whereby self-esteem becomes responsive to the romantic bond, thereby potentially benefitting relationship quality and bolstering self-esteem. Yet some people are romantically single, raising the question: Do single people also exhibit psychological attunement? In a 2-year longitudinal study of young adults ( N = 279), we test whether singles psychologically attune to their friendships. Multilevel modeling revealed that within-person fluctuations in friendship quality predicted within-person fluctuations in self-esteem, and this association was stronger for singles than for partnered people. A cross-sectional mediation analysis also revealed that singles invested more in their friendships than partnered people, and greater friendship investment predicted greater friendship quality and self-esteem later on. Finally, singles maintain their friendship quality over time while partnered people experience declines. Taken together, these results suggest that singles are psychologically attuned to their friendships, and such attunement may benefit their belongingness and self-esteem.

Asian Intercultural Marriage Couples in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
ShinHwa Lee ◽  
Richard S. Balkin ◽  
Mary A. Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Intercultural Relationships ◽  
Intercultural Marriage ◽  
Intercultural Couples ◽  
Level Of Acculturation ◽  
Asian Couples

Asian-involved intercultural couples are increasing as society becomes more open and accepting of intercultural relationships. Although issues and conflicts exist due to cultural differences, acculturation and personality characteristics may strengthen intercultural relationships. Ninety-two Asian and non-Asian individuals in Asian couples and Asian intercultural couples in the United States were compared based on the level of marital satisfaction, the level of acculturation, and personality characteristics. Findings indicated no differences in the level of marital satisfaction. However, significantly higher levels of acculturation in Asians in Asian intercultural couples and significantly higher levels of openness, conscientiousness, and extroversion in individuals in Asian intercultural couples were evident.

scholarly journals His and Hers: Economic Factors and Relationship Quality in Germany

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Halliday Hardie
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Panel Analysis ◽  
Longitudinal Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
Poverty Status ◽  
Labor Market Activity

Research has linked economic factors to relationship quality in the United States, primarily using cross-sectional data. In the current study, 2 waves of the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics data (n = 2,937) were used to test the gendered association between economic factors and relationship satisfaction among young German couples. In contrast to U.S.- based studies, the findings showed striking gender differences in the association between economic factors and relationship satisfaction for Germans. In cross-sectional models, women’s relationship satisfaction was positively associated with receiving government economic support, and men’s satisfaction was positively associated with poverty status and negatively associated with being a breadwinner. Longitudinal models revealed that changes in poverty status are associated with women’s satisfaction, but men’s satisfaction remains tied to their role as family provider. These unexpected results suggest that men’s satisfaction is positively associated with a more equal division of labor market activity between partners.

scholarly journals Divided Together: How Marginalization of Intercultural Relationships Is Associated With Identity Integration and Relationship Quality

2020 ◽  
pp. 194855062096265
Author(s):  
Maya A. Yampolsky ◽  
Alexandria L. West ◽  
Biru Zhou ◽  
Amy Muise ◽  
Richard N. Lalonde
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Identity Integration ◽  
Intercultural Relationships ◽  
Intercultural Couples ◽  
Couple Identity

Despite the growing prevalence of intercultural romantic relationships—in which partners identify with different racial, national, or religious backgrounds—people in intercultural relationships still face marginalization and disapproval from others. Relationship marginalization sends a message to couples that they do not belong together, and partners may feel that their cultural identity and their relationship are disconnected. Two studies—one study of people in intercultural relationships and one of both members of intercultural couples—showed that when people perceived greater relationship marginalization, they were more likely to separate their couple identity from their cultural identity or believe they had to choose between these identities and they were less likely to integrate these identities. Less integration and more separation between a person’s couple and cultural identities was associated with lower relationship quality for both partners. The findings suggest that marginalization can create challenges for the maintenance and quality of intercultural relationships.

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