The effect of attributions for rejection on the perceived levels of threat to different basic needs was experimentally tested. In this 3 (Internal, External, and Ambiguous attribution) x 3 (Controllable, Uncontrollable, and Neither attribution) experiment, participants read one of nine relationship termination vignettes manipulating which attribution was provided as the reason for being rejected. Perceived levels of threat to Fiske’s (2002) core social motives (belonging, control, and self-esteem) were measured. Analyses revealed main effects of the internal/external attributions, such that an internal attribution led to increased feelings of anger and desire to retaliate. Both effects were mediated by increases in threat to self-esteem. No effects of the rejection controllability attribution were found. These findings suggest that rejections that include internal attributions, such as that it’s the rejected person’s fault that they are being rejected, threaten a person’s self-esteem, which in turn leads to anger and desires to retaliate.

This study simultaneously examined the relationship of daily positive processes, daily negative processes, and the relative impact of each on marital satisfaction and likelihood of divorce in newlywed couples over time. Within six months of marriage, 120 newly married couples were asked to complete measures of relationship quality as well as daily diaries for 21- consecutive days to assess several positive and negative processes (i.e., positive and negative affect, positive and negative behaviors, and responsiveness of partner to attempts of social support and capitalization). This study used a dyadic path analysis in a structural equation modeling framework to examine the hypothesized relationships between positive and negative intra- and interpersonal processes and subsequent marital outcomes over time. Results supported the idea that positive processes within marriages are indicative of marital satisfaction and divorce proneness, over and above negative processes. Overall, the findings of this study contribute to the marital literature in that they provide further evidence that both positive and negative processes should be considered when looking at predictors that contribute to marital outcomes.

Research has shown that forgiveness promotes individual psychological well-being as well as positive relationship functioning. Moreover, couples themselves report that forgiving is one of the most important reasons that their relationships stand the test of time (Fenell,1993). However, the partner behaviours that facilitate, or even thwart, forgiveness in romantic relationships have been the subject of limited empirical research. In the current study, I investigated the effects of two sets of partner behaviour—offers of amends and expressions of responsiveness (i.e. understanding, validation, care)—on forgiveness for real-life hurtful events in romantic relationships. Sixty-four couples participated in a lab-based, experimental study in which I manipulated whether the partner who disclosed feelings about an unresolved, hurtful event (“victim”) received a videotaped response from his/her partner in which this partner (“offender”) expressed: 1) responsiveness only, 2) amends only, 3) both responsiveness and amends, or 4) neither responsiveness nor amends (control group). Trained coders provided micro-ratings of offenders’ specific responsive (e.g., perspective-taking) and amends (e.g., apology) behaviour as well as macro-ratings of more global displays of these behaviours (e.g., overall understanding, overall remorse). Victims also completed measures of relationship satisfaction, event severity, perceptions of their partners’ amends, perceptions of their partners’ responsiveness, and forgiveness. The findings suggest that event severity moderates the effectiveness of the general act of offering amends and/or responsiveness in promoting forgiveness. When event severity was high, the experimental manipulation of the presence vs. absence of amends and of responsiveness did not affect forgiveness. However, it did affect forgiveness for less severe events. Specifically, expressions of amends, responsiveness and their combination yielded similarly more forgiveness than no response at all. These effects were iv mediated by the victim’s perceptions of the offender’s responsiveness to his/her experience of the hurtful event. Further, results indicated that the victims’ perceptions of the offenders’ responsiveness could be promoted, or thwarted, by the content of the offenders’ amends. Micro-ratings of offenders’ amends behaviour demonstrated that when event severity is low, more elaborate offers of amends, in particular remorse, increase the victims’ perceptions of partner responsiveness, which in turn, facilitate forgiveness. To the contrary, when event severity is high, offering more elaborate offers of amends has no effect at all in facilitating victims’ perceptions of responsiveness, and expressing more remorse in particular, may backfire. Finally, the associations between coders’ ratings of the offenders’ behaviour with the victims’ perceptions suggested that the victims’ perceptions, especially of responsive behaviour, are perhaps largely self-construed.

Eating, weight, and shape concerns (EWS) are prevalent among college women, and women with EWS concerns tend to experience difficulties in the domain of interpersonal functioning. For a young woman, romantic relationships represent one of the most important aspects of her interpersonal world; thus, an exploration of the romantic relationships of women with EWS concerns may potentially impact the risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of these women. This study used a longitudinal design to examine the relations between EWS concerns and romantic relationships in 88 college women and their heterosexual partners. Participants completed questionnaires at two time points spaced approximately two months apart. Results revealed that women’s relationship outcomes did not predict changes in their EWS concerns over the subsequent two months, but relationship negative events for men predicted a worsening of women’s EWS concerns. This finding contradicts the common hypothesis that the influence between women’s EWS concerns and romantic relationship outcomes is bi-directional. Men’s desired change in their partners’ bodies predicted women’s EWS concerns cross-sectionally and longitudinally; however, once controlling for Body Mass Index, most results were no longer significant. Thus, it seems that a woman’s actual body weight may be driving both her partner’s satisfaction with her body and her own EWS concerns. Results for analyses determining whether women’s EWS concerns predicted subsequent changes in relationship outcomes indicated that women’s body image during physical intimacy was the only EWS variable that significantly or marginally predicted a worsening of all relationship outcomes for both men and women. This finding provides further support for previous research suggesting that women’s body image problems may lead to avoidance or uneasiness with physical intimacy, which in turn may impact relationship functioning. Finally, men’s desired change in their partner’s bodies predicted only men’s own relationship outcomes cross-sectionally, and only women’s relationship outcomes longitudinally. Overall, this study highlights the importance of longitudinal research and of assessing both partners when exploring the relations between women’s EWS concerns and romantic relationship outcomes.

No description available.

Research has shown that forgiveness promotes individual psychological well-being as well as positive relationship functioning. Moreover, couples themselves report that forgiving is one of the most important reasons that their relationships stand the test of time (Fenell,1993). However, the partner behaviours that facilitate, or even thwart, forgiveness in romantic relationships have been the subject of limited empirical research. In the current study, I investigated the effects of two sets of partner behaviour—offers of amends and expressions of responsiveness (i.e. understanding, validation, care)—on forgiveness for real-life hurtful events in romantic relationships. Sixty-four couples participated in a lab-based, experimental study in which I manipulated whether the partner who disclosed feelings about an unresolved, hurtful event (“victim”) received a videotaped response from his/her partner in which this partner (“offender”) expressed: 1) responsiveness only, 2) amends only, 3) both responsiveness and amends, or 4) neither responsiveness nor amends (control group). Trained coders provided micro-ratings of offenders’ specific responsive (e.g., perspective-taking) and amends (e.g., apology) behaviour as well as macro-ratings of more global displays of these behaviours (e.g., overall understanding, overall remorse). Victims also completed measures of relationship satisfaction, event severity, perceptions of their partners’ amends, perceptions of their partners’ responsiveness, and forgiveness. The findings suggest that event severity moderates the effectiveness of the general act of offering amends and/or responsiveness in promoting forgiveness. When event severity was high, the experimental manipulation of the presence vs. absence of amends and of responsiveness did not affect forgiveness. However, it did affect forgiveness for less severe events. Specifically, expressions of amends, responsiveness and their combination yielded similarly more forgiveness than no response at all. These effects were iv mediated by the victim’s perceptions of the offender’s responsiveness to his/her experience of the hurtful event. Further, results indicated that the victims’ perceptions of the offenders’ responsiveness could be promoted, or thwarted, by the content of the offenders’ amends. Micro-ratings of offenders’ amends behaviour demonstrated that when event severity is low, more elaborate offers of amends, in particular remorse, increase the victims’ perceptions of partner responsiveness, which in turn, facilitate forgiveness. To the contrary, when event severity is high, offering more elaborate offers of amends has no effect at all in facilitating victims’ perceptions of responsiveness, and expressing more remorse in particular, may backfire. Finally, the associations between coders’ ratings of the offenders’ behaviour with the victims’ perceptions suggested that the victims’ perceptions, especially of responsive behaviour, are perhaps largely self-construed.

The present study examined whether someone’s implicit theories of relationships (ITORs) has an effect on whose opinion and what type of opinion has more influence on their romantic relationship dynamics. Individuals high in destiny beliefs view relationships as either meant to be or not meant to be. Individuals high in growth beliefs think relationships take work to maintain and that problems can be overcome. Combined these form orientations- cultivation orientation where the individual is high growth/low destiny and evaluation orientation which is high destiny/low growth. I analyzed an archived dataset where participants completed Sinclair’s (2008) Social Network Opinion Scale, Lund’s (1985) commitment scale, and Knee’s (1998) Implicit Theories of Relationship scale. We found evaluation orientation individuals are significantly more committed as parent approval rises, and significantly less committed as parent approval declines. Those exhibiting the cultivation orientation managed to maintain commitment regardless of parent opinion, consistent with hypothesis two.

This thesis focuses on the course through which romantic relationships gain meaning in the lives of students at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Drawing from research conducted with some students from the university in 2007/08, the thesis illustrates the process of investing in relationships, arguing that romantic relationships feature significantly in their imagination of 'a life that is worthy of living.' The story that is related in this thesis demonstrates that, in the lives of the research participants, romantic relationships provide a cocoon for self-development. Arising out of a need that they described as youthful, the research participants pointed out that romantic relationships are all but a passing phase. While providing a space in which one could fulfil their youthful desires, romantic relationships became a part of the larger plan of life by paving the way for the birth of 'real' love. Being a king of love that lasts, real love provides a formidable base for marital bonds. The stories the search participants told of their love lives suggested that 'real loves' are born when one invests oneself in it, pouring in time, effort, trust and commitment. It is the investment of trust and commitment that makes these bonds last, thus making it a kind of a bond on which a successful marriage could be founded. Investing in building trust and commitment is likened to investing oneself in the relationship, because in doing so, the research participants pointed out that they emerge as men and women of particular natures. The investment of oneself in the relationship is a process that revolves around giving and taking. Drawing out three aspects through which the research participants embedded themselves in romantic relationships, the thesis highlights the relational aspect of self, pointing out that one's life's worthiness could be tied to the people who are around them.

The present study investigates the role of personality as an antecedent factor to jealousy experience and expression utilizing Guerrero and Andersen's (1998) Componential Model of Jealousy Experience and Expression. Whereas personality constructs have been commonly examined as correlates or concomitants of jealousy there has been relatively little empirical work examining the role of personality in the context of this model, which highlights the distinction between jealousy experience and expression. The present study addresses this issue by examining the relation between the components of the model and well-established measures of adult attachment, the Five-Factor Model of personality, and specific maladaptive personality traits in two samples. The first sample is composed of 400 undergraduate students and the second sample is composed of 184 married community residents who have reported experiencing jealousy in their romantic relationships. Additional analyses evaluate the relation between jealousy experience and expression as well as the relation between relationship satisfaction and jealousy. While adult attachment dimensions tend to be the strongest predictors of the elements of jealousy experience and expression, other personality variables exhibited important and meaningful relations as well. The majority of these other personality variables tended to contain elements of negative emotionality at their core. The present study also provided replication of several relations between elements of the componential model of jealousy.

The present pair of studies tested the hypothesis that romantic investments are reciprocal, such that the investments made by one romantic partner motivate continued investment from the other partner. In Study 1, participants were presented with a hypothetical scenario involving a failing relationship, in which romantic investment was experimentally manipulated. High investments made by a romantic partner predicted continued relationship perseverance. In Study 2, participants in romantic relationships were randomly assigned to recall their own investments,their current partner‘s investments, or skip directly to the dependent measures (control). Participants who recalled their partners‘ investments reported higher intentions to continue to invest in their relationships. This effect was mediated by higher feelings of gratitude toward the partner and by increased feelings of trust in the romantic partner. The role of gratitude in particular suggests prosocial emotions and processes are an important factor in relationship decision making.