Temporal Ordering of Intimate Relationship Efficacy and Conflict

Does belief in one's ability to realize goals for an intimate relationship and meet partner needs, referredtoasrelationshipefficacy,leadtodyadic exchanges responsible for relationship success? In the context of an intimate relationship, the achievement of desired outcomes-most often, a satisfying and stable union (Karney & Bradbury,1995)-isdependentonnotonlyone'sown actions but also those of the partner. As such, it remains unclear whether each partner's relationship efficacy is a catalyst for dyadic behaviors, as the literature currently suggests, or if couple interactions serve as the basis through which each partner's relationship efficacy is formed, a question yet to be examined. Just as confidence in the ability to navigate couple relations might shape subsequent exchanges, the accrual of rewarding or costly interactions over time could inform one's belief in his or her ability to realize desired relationship outcomes. Of course, each possibility is not mutually exclusive, and social cognitive theory suggests that personal characteristics, behavior, and environmental factors exhibit bidirectional influence (Bandura, 1978, 1986). Careful investigation is crucial to provide insight into the temporal ordering between relationship efficacy and dyadic interactions.In this study, we answer one central question: How does male and female partners' relationship efficacy ("I can fulfill my partner's needs very well" and "When I plan something for my partnership, I am also able to realize it") relate to each partner's problem-solving behaviors and the frequency of negatively valenced couple conflict over time? Guided by social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), we answered this research question with data from continuously partnered heterosexual couples surveyed annually over the first four waves of the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (Pairfam) study (n = 1,640 couples). BackgroundSocial Cognitive TheoryTo guide our exploration of how relationship efficacy and conflict relate over time, we drew from social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986). The hallmark of social cognitive theory is the proposition that psychosocial functioning is the result of "triadic reciprocal causation" (Bandura, 1978, 1986) among personal characteristics (cognitive, affective, and biological), behavior, and contextual factors. In contrast to unidirectional models that conceptualize human behavior as driven entirely by either environmental stimuli or internal dispositions, social cognitive theory contends that people bear an active role in shaping the course of their lives and environment, referred to as personal agency, while external forces concurrently influence individual development. In short, "personal agency operates within a broad network of sociostructural influences" (Bandura, 1999, p. 24). Although people have the capability to initiate behaviors most likely to bring about preferred outcomes, such as enjoying a satisfying intimate union, is there a key personal characteristic or contextual factor that explains why some individuals actively embark on a course to achieve desired goals and others do not? Self-efficacy is conceptualized as an important determinant of behavior in social cognitive theory and is defined as "beliefs in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments" (Bandura, 1997, p. 3). Although social cognitive theory acknowledges bidirectional causality among behavior, cognitions, and contextual factors, much emphasis is placed on self-efficacy as the key cognitive precondition for behavior: "Efficacy belief, therefore, is a major basis for action. People guide their lives by their beliefs of personal efficacy" (Bandura, 1997, p. 3). In the current study we explored a novel form of efficacy: intimate partners' confidence in their ability to bring about desired relationship outcomes and meet partner needs. According to a social cognitive perspective, individuals with high relationship efficacy should engage their intimate partners in ways that would prove satisfying over time. …