Personality Styles and its Effect on the Satisfaction of Romantic Relationship

This pilot study was designed to determine the nature of the relation between personality styles and relationship satisfaction. Ten participants, 8 females and 2 males, were asked to complete two questionnaires, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Hendrick's Relationship Satisfaction Assessment Scale (RAS). We hypothesized that the personality characteristics of openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness would be positively correlated with high levels of relationship satisfaction. We also hypothesized that neuroticism would be a powerful predictor of relationship dissatisfaction. Lastly, we hypothesized that extroversion would have no correlation with relationship satisfaction. Introduction Relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships has been associated with many factors including self-concept, optimism, and self-disclosure. Finding the factors related to unsatisfactory relationships has social importance. Lack of relationship satisfaction can affect school performance, lead to long term depression, drug and alcohol use, and even suicide (Blanchard, 2004). The damage potential in a poor relationship is far reaching at all ages, especially adolescence. Adolescence is a time to seek acceptance and discover the self. Romantic relationships are central in most adolescents' lives (Galliher & Rostosky, 1999). Because relationship formation is central to the lives of adolescents, it is important to examine the relation between relationship satisfaction and how emergent adolescent personality dimensions impact relationship satisfaction. A romantic relationship consists of two partners who both bring their individual personalities to their relationship. This notion sounds trivial, but its conceptual implications are profound. Previous research has examined many aspects of personality that impact relationship satisfaction including selfesteem, self-concept, positive illusion projection, negative conflict style, introversion and extroversion, self-monitoring and depression. Previous research suggests that different personality styles may ultimately predict the type of relationship an individual is likely to have or even not have, as in the case of Wilbert and Rupert's (1986) study on lonely college students. These researchers found that, in general, lonely college students were more upset over not being in a romantic relationship than anything else. These students were overly cautious in social atmospheres and exhibited fear of embarrassing themselves in front of strangers. These dysfunctional attitudes influenced the college students' self-esteem, thereby decreasing it and decreasing the chances that they would enter into a romantic relationship. Freshman year in college can be a tough time because most students have to build new friendships. This may be a time of increased loneliness and therefore fewer romantic relationships (Wilbert & Rupert, 1986). Cramer and Donachie (1999) also evaluated college students' self-esteem in the context of romantic relationships. These researchers found that lower self-esteem and decreased mental health was a predictor of decreased closeness within romantic relationships of college students. Conversely, it was noted that increased closeness between two people was not a predictor of good mental health. Possibly, the support due to this closeness invalidated any signs of poor mental health (Cramer & Donachie, 1999). Blanchard found that poor relationship satisfaction and low self-concept are highly correlated in romantic relationships. His results suggest a positive correlation between relationship satisfaction and trust in relationships as well as between relationship satisfaction and emotional stability (Blanchard, 2004). Murray, Holmes, and Griffin found evidence that a person's ability to project positive illusions in relationships predict greater satisfaction and less conflict in both dating and marital relationships. (Murray, Holmes, & Griffin, 1997). They also recognized that a sense of security requires the absence of significant doubts or uncertainties. Those who possess positive illusions have few doubts about their own