From First-Union Separation to Stepfamily in Italian Context: Building a Stepcouple Identity

The present work aimed to explore the building process of couple identity for stepcouples’ partners. Fifteen Italian women and fifteen Italian men, engaged in a new couple’s relationship after first-union separation or divorce, were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed through a Grounded Theory approach . Results showed that the first-union separation experience plays an important role in the process of stepcouple identity building, as it influences the priorities in individual organization of life, qualities, and expectations about new relationships, the importance attributed to individual, couple, and family boundaries, and the choice of the new partner. New functional stepcouple relationships are characterized by a strong sense of shared projects and purposes. This generative dimension, clearly perceived by interviewees as a fundamental characteristic of stepcouple identity, is a resource, in spite of complexity and challenges of stepcouples’ life cycle.

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

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.

Who are “We”? Couple Identity Clarity and Romantic Relationship Commitment

This research introduces the construct of couple identity clarity—the extent to which an individual, as one of two partners in a romantic relationship, believes that the two of them know who they are as a couple. Cross-sectional (Studies 1–2), experimental (Study 3), and longitudinal (Study 4) studies supported the hypothesis that couple identity clarity is associated with higher commitment. Moreover, higher couple identity clarity, although related to actual agreement between partners on their identity as a couple, predicted commitment above and beyond agreement (Study 2)—as well as predicted reduced likelihood of relationship dissolution over a 9-month period (Study 4). Exploratory analyses revealed that successful conflict resolution may enhance couple identity clarity, in turn predicting commitment (Study 4). These studies highlight the importance of people’s understanding of who they are as a couple and how this understanding shapes relationship persistence.

If You Shared My Happiness, You Are Part of Me: Capitalization and the Experience of Couple Identity

The way in which individuals react to a partner’s disclosure of positive news (capitalization response) is associated with relational well-being. Two studies analyzed the role of couple identity in explaining the association between perceived capitalization responses and relationship quality. A daily diary study ( n = 90 couples) revealed that on days people perceived their partners’ responses as active-constructive, they reported higher levels of couple identity. A longitudinal two-wave study ( n = 169 couples) showed that couple identity mediated the link between active-constructive (for both women and men) and passive-destructive responses (only for men) and relationship quality. Overall, our findings suggest that the experience of the partner’s involvement and support in good times contribute to a sense of couple identity, which over the long turn, is associated with partners’ relational well-being.

Identity

The dynamic processes of individual and couple identity formation are discussed against a theoretical background. Absence of strict codes of behavior creates an environment in which emerging adults feel freer to explore and experiment with identity options, both as individuals and as couples. Marcia’s four “identity statuses” are presented in a contemporary context, and the concept of group identification is discussed. The challenges of transitioning from an individual identity to a couple identity—from an I to a we—are analyzed. The 29 research participants discuss their personal experiences in forming a we identity and the difficulties in developing and maintaining an I while living in a we relationship. The chapter concludes with a case study of a young American woman of Middle-Eastern ethnicity who must contend with strong cultural and parental influences while trying to forge an individual and a couple identity.