bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sociosexuality and everyday social interaction
Authors: HEBL MICHELLE R. , KASHY DEBORAH A.
Published: May 2005

This study examined whether sociosexuality, a variable measuring unrestrictedness of sexual attitudes and behaviors, relates to the everyday social interactions of individuals. Sociosexuality was measured using Simpson and Gangestad's (1991a) Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI). Seventy‐one participants completed daily interaction records assessing various aspects of each interaction they had over a 7‐day period. The number of interactions in which they engaged, as well as the number of partners with whom they interacted, were correlated with scores on the SOL In addition, a multilevel data analytic approach was used to examine whether sociosexuality related to perceived Closeness, Quality, Negativity, and Sexual Interest during these interactions. Results were somewhat mixed. Women higher in sociosexuality reported both more extensive social networks and greater numbers of interactions, particularly with men, than women lower in sociosexuality. A marginally significant trend indicated that individuals higher in sociosexuality reported that interactions with their romantic partners contained greater Negativity than individuals lower in sociosexuality. In addition, both men and women higher in sociosexuality reported that interactions with their best friends were of poorer quality.
Love and expansion of the self: The state of the model
Authors: ARON ELAINE N. , ARON ARTHUR
Published: May 2005

The self‐expansion model of love developed out of a confluence of research on attraction and arousal, Eastern psychology, motivation theory, and the social psychology of personal relationships. The model treats love (the desire for a relationship with a particular other) as arising from a desire to expand the self by including that other in the self, as well as by associating expansion with that particular other. First, the model is described, including its function as a source of heuristically important metaphors for common human experiences of love and its unique focus in relation to other approaches to love. The remainder of the article examines its application, including supporting research, to predictors of falling in love, motivations for unrequited love, consequences of falling in love, love as including each other in each other's self, and how love changes (and how it can be maintained) in long‐term relationships. The conclusion examines current trends in which the model serves as both a very general integration of useful perspectives and as a set of precise mini‐theories.
Is love a “basic” emotion?
Authors: SHAVER PHILLIP R. , MORGAN HILLARY J. , WU SHELLEY
Published: May 2005

This article documents the neglect of love in many contemporary emotion theories, despite its prominence in the lay psychology of emotion. We argue that love should be considered a basic emotion, like anger, sadness, happiness, and fear. We discuss the criteria that various theorists use to distinguish basic from nonbasic emotions, and we marshal arguments and evidence from a variety of sources suggesting that love fits the criteria for basicness. We conclude that a number of controversies over the status of love can be resolved by distinguishing between the momentarysurgeform of love, a basic emotion having properties similar to joy, sadness, fear, etc., andrelationallove, a bond that develops between people, associated with states that include not only surge love, but many other emotions such as distress and anxiety. Finally, we suggest that “love” is the broad, everyday name for emotions related to three interrelated behavioral systems discussed by Bowlby (1979): attachment, caregiving, and sex.
What is this thing called love? Defining the love that supports marriage and family
Authors: NOLLER PATRICIA
Published: May 2005

The aim of this article was to define, on the basis of theorizing and research, the love that supports marriage and the family, or the type of love that is related to high levels of satisfaction in relationships, to the psychological well‐being of family members and to stable family relationships. Literature is reviewed that explores the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of both mature and immature love, and I conclude that all three aspects of love can be either mature or immature. With regard to the emotional component, I have noted that feelings of both passion and companionship can continue throughout life. Immature love is exemplified in such constructs as limerence, love addiction, and infatuation. Given that love is socially constructed, I note that it can be strongly affected by the beliefs about love that are present in the culture, and that these beliefs can be either functional or dysfunctional. Particularly dysfunctional beliefs include those emphasizing that love is blind, external, and beyond the control of the lovers. Behaviors characteristic of mature and immature love are also explored. It seems that mature love may be best conceptualized as creating an environment in which both the lovers and those who depend on them can grow and develop. This type of love supports marriage and family life.
Parents' disclosure of their own concerns to their adolescent children
Authors: DOLGIN KIM GALE
Published: May 2005

This study examines middle‐aged parents' disclosure about their own lives and current concerns, with their late‐adolescent children. Three hundred seventy‐two parents of college freshmen, averaging 47 years of age, participated by filling out an anonymous questionnaire that asked about 28 topics, varying in intimacy, of concern to adults. The subjects indicated whether they had discussed each topic with their child, and, if they had, the motivations that prompted them to do so. The data revealed that mothers disclosed more than did fathers, and they were more likely to cite “venting,”“asking advice,” and “seeking emotional support” as reasons for disclosure; fathers were more likely to cite “trying to change his/her behavior” as a rationale for disclosure. Child's gender did not affect disclosure rates, but sons and daughters were disclosed to for different reasons. Divorced parents disclosed more than did parents from continuously intact families, and they cited somewhat different reasons for disclosure.
Children, traditionalism in the division of family work, and marital satisfaction: “What's love got to do with it?”
Authors: GROTE NANCY K. , FRIEZE IRENE H. , STONE CLEMENT A.
Published: May 2005

This research examines several of the factors related to the frequently cited finding that the presence of children in the home is related to lower marital satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether the number of children at home and the length of marriage predicted traditionalism in the division of family work, which, in turn, was differentially associated with erotic, ludic, friendship‐based, and agapic love as well as marital satisfaction for 530 married men and women. For both men and women, the greater the number of children at home and the longer the marriage, the more traditional the division of family labor. Traditionalism predicted lower levels of erotic and friendship‐based love for women, which ultimately were related to lower marital satisfaction. For men, however, traditionalism was associated with stronger erotic and friendship‐based love, a phenomenon linked to higher marital satisfaction. These findings clarify the connection between the number of children at home and reduced marital satisfaction for the women in the sample and suggest that, for both men and women, it is how family work is divided, rather than the presence of children per se, that has meaning for the affective quality of the marriage.
The construction of risk in relationships: The role of framing in decisions about intimate relationships
Authors: BOON SUSAN D. , GRIFFIN DALE W.
Published: May 2005

Two studies examined the applicability of Kahneman and Tversky's (1979) notion of “framing” to decision making in romantic relationships. Using scenarios about hypothetical relationships, the results of Study 1 demonstrated that framing objectively identical alternatives in terms of losses versus gains affected participants' preferences for risky versus cautious actions. Furthermore, adult attachment style was found to moderate the impact of this framing effect. Study 2 examined individual differences in people's spontaneous tendencies to frame their feelings about their actual relationships in terms of losses or gains. Consistent with the findings of Study 1, attachment style was reliably associated with spontaneous framing. Secure individuals were most likely to represent their feelings in terms of a “gains frame” whereas fearful individuals were most likely to represent their feelings in terms of a “loss frame.”
Rebuilding the network: New relationships in widowhood
Authors: LAMME SIMONE , DYKSTRA PEARL A. , VAN GROENOU MARJOLEIN I. BROESE
Published: May 2005

This study examined the formation of nonkin relationships in widowhood, using personal network data from 548 older men and women who lost a partner through death fewer than 10 years earlier. Relationships established after the death of the spouse were cited by 27.6% of the respondents. New relationships with neighbors were cited in particular. New relationships were more often nominated by women than by men. Formation of new relationships was strongly and positively associated with the duration of widowhood, the presence of a new partner, and having put effort into seeking new relationships. The findings suggest that, to gain a proper understanding of why some widowed individuals form new relationships and others do not, knowledge is required about the quality of the social network prior to widowhood.
Brotherly love I: The experience of closeness in the fraternal dyad
Authors: FLOYD KORY
Published: May 2005

The present research explicates the experience of closeness in dyadic relationships between brothers. A total of 160 respondents comprising 80 intact brother dyads described situations or events in which they felt particularly close to each other. Phenomenological analyses identified five themes characterizing the experience of closeness among brothers: shared conversation, solidarity, companionship, shared perceptions and memories, and surviving shared adversity. Some of these themes confirmed prior research on siblings or male‐male relationships, whereas others have not emerged in previous studies. Results are discussed in relation to contemporary appeals for a more inclusive theoretical approach to the study of close relationships.
Attachment styles and other predictors of relationship satisfaction in dating couples
Authors: JONES JENNIFER T. , CUNNINGHAM JOHN D.
Published: May 2005

A sample of 186 dating couples completed questionnaires in order to examine the relevance of attachment styles, romantic beliefs, self‐esteem, and gender roles to relationship satisfaction. The aim was to assess whether male and female anxiety over abandonment and comfort with closeness, and interactions among them, predicted satisfaction beyond the contribution of the other variables. Using multiple‐regression analysis, it was found that attachment styles successfully predicted satisfaction, after controlling for romantic beliers, self‐esteem, and gender roles. Both partners were particularly dissatisfied when either partner suffered high anxiety over abandonment or low comfort with closeness. Implications for gender roles, relationship satisfaction, and attachment styles are discussed.
Attachment, caregiving, and marital satisfaction
Authors: FEENEY JUDITH A.
Published: May 2005

This research tested the proposition that attachment and caregiving are central, interrelated components of adult love relationships. A sample of 229 married couples was used to assess the association between attachment and caregiving styles and the implications of these variables for marital satisfaction. There was evidence of partner matching in terms of dimensions of attachment (Comfort with closeness, Anxiety over relationships) and caregiving (Responsive care, Compulsive care). Secure attachment (high Comfort with closeness, low Anxiety over relationships) was associated with beneficial caregiving to the spouse (high Responsive care, low Compulsive care). These associations were modest in size, however, suggesting that attachment and caregiving are separate constructs; further, these constructs were related in different ways to retrospective reports of early parenting. Marital satisfaction was higher for securely attached spouses, and for those whose partners reported more beneficial caregiving. For husbands, however, the link between caregiving and satisfaction was restricted to short‐term marriages, and to those high in Anxiety over relationships. Overall, the results support the role of attachment and caregiving in marriage, but suggest that variables such as gender have important moderating effects.
The deterioration of relationship quality for gay and lesbian cohabiting couples: A five‐year prospective longitudinal study
Authors: KURDEK LAWRENCE A.
Published: May 2005

Data are reported from both partners of 60 gay and 46 lesbian couples, a subset of whom annually completed mailed surveys over a S‐year period. At Year I, relationship quality was found to be comprised of three factors: positivity, relationship conflict, and personal autonomy. Compared to stable couples, couples who eventually separated reported a decrease in positivity, an increase in relationship conflict, and an increase in personal autonomy in the preseparation period. When the three dimensions of change in relationship quality were considered together, relationship dissolution was predicted by an interaction between change in positivity and change id personal autonomy such that decreases in positivity were linked to dissolution, especially when personal autonomy increased. Year 1 personal risk factors (inexpressiveness, dysfunctional relationship beliefs, and social anxiety) were unsuccessful in predicting relationship dissolution and linear change in either positivity or personal autonomy. Findings were not moderated by type of couple. It is concluded that change is a core relationship process.
Mutual and unrequited love in adolescence and young adulthood
Authors: HILL CRAIG A. , BLAKEMORE JUDITH E. OWEN , DRUMM PATRICK
Published: May 2005

The purpose of the study was to examine the frequency of experiencing passionate love during adolescence and young adulthood as recalled by young adults, and to examine gender differences in this frequency. Female and male US. introductory psychology students, several of whom were of nontraditional age, responded to a questionnaire that asked about the frequency of their mutual and unrequited love experiences. Respondents provided information for four age periods ranging from childhood to age 25 years. Although the frequency of recalled mutual love experiences increased for both genders from childhood through the 16‐to‐20‐year‐age period, men reported more episodes or unrequited love during the 16‐to‐20‐year‐age period compared to (a) other age periods, (b) their reports of mutual love during that age period, and (c) the reports of unrequited love for 16‐to‐20‐year‐old women.
Anticipation of future identities: A control theory approach to identity development within the context of serious dating relationships
Authors: KERPELMAN JENNIFER L. , LAMKE LEANNE K.
Published: May 2005

Control theory was used to investigate identity microprocesses (i.e., self‐verification)within the context of serious dating relationships. Forty‐two college women importance for, and certainty about, their future career identities served as targets in the study. The targets and their dating partners participated in a procedure in which the targets received career information that was contrary to their beliefs about their future identities. Results revealed that women who were highly certain about their future career identity, regardless of its importance level, engaged in more self‐verification efforts than did women who were uncertain. A comparison of congruent (partner herself) and incongruent dating partners revealed that congruent partners were the most overt in their disagreement with the contrary information. Certainty and partner congruence predicted the target's self‐rating change following the identity disruption. Partner congruence accounted for a substantial amount of variance in self‐rating change, indicating that close relationships provide an influential context for identity development.
Individual characteristics and personal relationships
Authors: AUHAGEN ANN ELISABETH , HINDE ROBERT A.
Published: May 2005

The nature of a personal relationship depends in part on the characteristics of the participating individuals. Yet the relations between individual characteristics and relationships are complex because (i) there are difficulties in specifying the dimensions along which individuals differ; (ii) the characteristics that an individual displays vary with the situation; (iii) relationships have properties that result from interaction between the participants; and (iv) the mechanisms whereby individual Characteristics affect relationships are diverse. In this paper the first three of these issues are discussed briefly and a number of examples of the fourth are provided.
“We were just fated together”… Chinese love and the concept of yuan in England and Hong Kong
Authors: GOODWIN ROBIN , FINDLAY CHARLOTTE
Published: May 2005

Recent research into cultural variations in personal relationships has stressed the significance of “etic” measures such as individualism‐collectivism. This study, however, focuses on a more culture‐specific concept, the Chinese notion of yuan, derived from a Buddhist belief in the role of predestiny and fate in relationship development. One hundred Hong Kong Chinese and 100 British respondents completed a specially constructed yuan beliefs scale and then a 24‐item version of Hendrick and Hendrick's (1986) Love Attitudes Scale. Although Chinese respondents scored significantly higher lhan did British respondents on the yuan scale, replies in both cultures demonstrated at least a moderate endorsement of yuan beliefs. Belief in yuan was highly correlated with pragmatic and agapic love styles, and was negatively correlated with erotic love. Results are interpreted in the context of the wider relationship beliefs and practices of the two cultures.
“Girls don't talk about garages!”: Perceptions of conversation in same‐ and cross‐sex friendships
Authors: MARTIN ROBERT
Published: May 2005

This investigation examined respondents’perceptions of differences in the conversational behavior of same‐sex friends and cross‐sex friends. Respondents read brief transcripts of conversations from which all obvious gender identifiers had been removed and then were asked to indicate whether the conversations were between male friends, female friends, or cross‐sex friends and to specify what features of the conversations had led them to their judgment. Respondents were better than expected by chance at accurately distinguishing the cone and by far the most common feature that respondents used in making their discriminations was the topic being discussed. However, other important discriminating features included the use of profanity and certain slang terms and expressions, the occurrence of dysfluencies, how certain topics were discussed the presence of gossip, the tone of the discussion, the openness of the Conversation, and how much the conversants seemed to know about what they were discussing. Based on the respondents’observations, a number of propositions were then formulated representing beliefs that many individuals apparently hold in their relational schemata about conversational behavior in same‐sex and cross friendships.
Adjustment to relationship dissolution in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual partners
Authors: KURDEK LAWRENCE A.
Published: May 2005

Twenty‐six gay, 24 lesbian, and 49 heterosexual (19 male and 30 female) individuals who were separated from their relationship partner for about 6 months provided reasons why their relationship ended and rated their current separation distress. Relative to partners in heterosexual couples, those in gay or lesbian couples did not differ in reasons for the separation or in level of separation distress. Aspects of relationship quality assessed shortly before the separation occurred did not predict later separation distress. However, individuals who indicated that problems with intimacy were the cause of the separation were unlikely to be distressed by the separation, whereas individuals who indicated that problems with communication were the cause of the separation were likely to be distressed by the separation. Separation distress was positively related to the severity of neurotic symptoms reported when the relationship was intact and was negatively related to the extent to which the separation was expected. It is concluded that separation distress is more strongly related to personal strategies for coping with stress than to relationship‐related events leading to separation.
Cognitions of relationship quality: A prototype analysis of their structure and consequences
Authors: HASSEBRAUCK MANFRED
Published: May 2005

Laypersons’conceptions of a good heterosexual relationship were examined in four studies. In study 1, a total of 120 German college students listed all aspects of a good intimate relationship. The resulting 1,010 items represented 352 distinct features, of which the 64 most frequently mentioned were selected for further analyses. In study 2, a total of 107 German college students rated the degree of centrality of the 64 items and reliably distinguished central from peripheral features. These data are consistent with a prototype analysis of the concept “good relationship.” In study 3, central features were round to be more salient in memory than were peripheral features, and in study 4, central features were associated with shorter response latencies than were peripheral ones. The specific features identified by laypersons as central to a good relationship were compared to those identified by experts, and the similarities and differences between the lay concepts of love and good relationships were also examined.
Attachment styles, shame, guilt, and collaborative problem‐solving orientations
Authors: LOPEZ FREDERICK G. , GOVER MARK R. , LESKELA JENNIE , SAUER ERIC M. , SCHIRMER LISA , WYSSMANN JAMES
Published: May 2005

The present study explored relations among adult attachment styles, shame‐ and guilt‐proneness, and several measures of relationship problem‐solving attitudes and behaviors. Participants were 142 undergraduates (32 males, 110 females) who completed both categorical and continuous measures of adult attachment, as well as self‐report measures of the other constructs under investigation. Most participants (93%) were currently involved in either exclusive or casual dating relationships at the time of the study. Controlling for respondents’dating status, results indicated that participants’attachment styles were significantly related to both shame‐proneness and collaborative problem‐solving, Preoccupied and fearful students were more shame‐prone than were their secure and dismissive peers, and secure participants reported significantly higher collaboration scores relative to their fearful counterparts. As expected, shame and guilt scores were differentially related to collaborative problem‐solving, and participants’attachment security significantly moderated observed shame‐guilt correlations. Finally, respondents’guilt and shame scores partly mediated observed relations between adult attachment styles and collaborative problem‐solving orientations.
Gender differences in standards for romantic relationships
Authors: VANGELISTI ANITA L. , DALY JOHN A.
Published: May 2005

Why is it that women often report more problems in their romantic relationships than do men? One explanation apparent in the literature is that women may view different standards as important for relationships than do their male counterparts and, as a consequence, women may be less likely to have their standards met. A second explanation is that while women and men may not differ in terms of the importance they associate with various standards, the experiences they have in their romantic relationships may lead women Lo believe their standards are not fulfilled as often as do men. The current study offers a preliminary test of these two rival explanations and found greater support for the latter. Analyses of two composite measures and more detailed factor‐based measures generally indicated that the standards held by women and men involved in heterosexual romantic relationships were rated similar in importance. Women, however, tended to note that their standards were met less fully than did men. Further, compared to men, women reported a greater discrepancy between the importance they associated with various standards and the extent to which the standards were fulfilled in the context of their relationship. The ability of two different theoretical models to predict and explain these findings is discussed, as re the implications of the results for future research.
Gender differences, similarities, and interdependencies: Some problems with the different cultures perspective
Authors: VANGELISTI ANITA L.
Published: May 2005

Nature begins with the cause and ends with the experience; we must follow the opposite course, that is, beginning… with experience, and from this investigate the reason.—Leonardo da Vinci
Attachment concerns of mothers as manifested in parental, spousal, and friendship relationships
Authors: MAYSELESS OFRA , SHARABANY RUTH , SAGI ABRAHAM
Published: May 2005

The present study examined the relation between attachment concerns of mothers and three of their close relationships: with their husband, best woman friend, and infant. Forty‐live mothers completed an Attachment Concerns Questionnaire based on the Hazan and Shaver attachment measure, and the Sharabany Intimacy scale regarding their relationships with their husband and with their same‐sex best friend; they were also observed with their infants (aged 14 to 22 months) in the Ainsworth Strange Situation procedure. Mothers’attachment concerns were significantly correlated both to their infants’attachment classifications and to reunion scores in the Strange Situation procedure (e.g., concern with closeness was positively correlated with avoidance; fear of abandonment was positively correlated with avoidance and resistance). Intimacy with husband and best woman friend were also correlated with mothers’attachment concerns (e.g., concern with closeness was negatively correlated with intimacy with the husband and fear of abandonment was negatively correlated with intimacy with the best friend). The findings are discussed in terms of the concept of an internal working model of attachment, and, in light of the similarity and the modular hypotheses regarding the nature of relationships and concordance among relationships.
Subjective attributes of attraction: How people characterize their liking, their love, and their being in love
Authors: LAMM HELMUT , WIESMANN ULRICH
Published: May 2005

Ninety‐nine students (mostly women) at a German university were asked to write down how they could tell that they like someone, love someone, and arc in love with someone (or, in other words, what characterized each sentiment if experienced by them). A taxonomy of 47 characteristics (or indicators) was developed to code the responses for each of the three sentiments. Most frequently mentioned were positive mood in the other's presence (61 % for liking and 53% for love) and arousal (62% for being in love). The most distinctive (or unique) characteristic of liking was desire for interaction with the other; of love, trust in the other; and of bcing in love, arousal. Categorizing the characteristics into a cognitive, an affective, and a behavioral level, a complex pattern of main effects and interaction effects was found through analyses of variance. Gender differences were found but are not discussed because of the small male sample (n= 13). Our findings are discussed with respect to the scales developed by Rubin, Hatfield, and Sternberg, and they are placed in the context of recent research on subjective definitions of attraction sentiments (especially love).
Interpersonal relatedness and self‐definition in the experience of loneliness during the transition to university
Authors: WISEMAN HADAS
Published: May 2005

Blatt's (1900) theory on the two primary dimensions in personality—interpersonal relatedness and self—definition—was applied to the study of loneliness during the transition to university. Participants were 176 students (84 males and 92 females) who completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) at the beginning of First‐year university (time 1) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (trait and state versions) at the beginning and at the middle of first‐year university (time 2). A subsample of students (n= 74) also completed Sharabany's Intimacy Scale at time 2. Trait loneliness was accounted for by higher levels of Self‐Criticism (SC) and lower levels of Efficacy (E). Change in state loneliness from time t to time 2 (i.e., overcoming state loneliness) was predicted by lower Self‐Criticism and higher Efficacy. In the relationship with an intimate partner, Self‐Criticism negatively predicted frankness, sensitivity, and trust, whereas Dependency positively predicted attachment, giving, and trust. The centrality of self‐criticism in vulnerability to loneliness and in lack of intimacy is discussed, and directions for future research on loneliness and personality styles are suggested.
Gender, negative affectivity, and observed social support behavior in marital interaction
Authors: PASCH LAURI A. , BRADBURY THOMAS N. , DAVILA JOANNE
Published: May 2005

Most prior research on social support in close relationships examines perceptions of support, failing to capture fully the helping behaviors that partners exchange while interacting. We observed 60 newly married couples each engage in two 10‐minute interactions. with one spouse (the helper) responding while the partner (the helper) discussed a personal characteristic or problem that he or she wanted to change. Helper and helper behaviors were coded and examined in relation to gender and negative affectivity, which have been linked in prior research to perceptions of support. Husbands and wives did not differ in helper behaviors, but wives displayed more negative helper behavior than did husbands. Helper and helper behavior covaried with negative affectivity in expected directions, and helper behavior covaried with the partner's negative affectivity. Finally, analysis of negative reciprocity sequences showed that, as helpers, husbands were more likely to reciprocate negative behavior, and to have their negative behavior reciprocated, to the extent that they were high in negative affectivity. We emphasize the value of observational data in understanding social support in marriage, we discuss the implications of the findings in terms of prevailing beliefs about gender and social support, and we outline the specific links between negative affectivity and observed support behavior in marriage.
Ethnicity and emotional support in same‐sex friendship: A comparison of Asian‐Americans, African‐Americans, and Euro‐Americans
Authors: SAMTER WENDY , WHALEY BRYAN B. , MORTENSON STEVEN T. , BURLESON BRANT R.
Published: May 2005

Emotional support is a central feature around which white, middle‐class adults organize their same‐sex friendships. The purpose of this study was to examine whether emotional support is accorded the same significance in the friendships of Asian‐ and African‐Americans. Participants included 199 students (60 Euro‐American men and women, 80 Asian‐American men and women, and 59 African‐American men and women) attending either a state or private university in California. Each participant completed three different questionnaires designed to assess perceptions of (a) the importance of comforting skill in same‐sex friendship; (b) the significance of emotion‐focused versus problem‐focused goals in situations requiring emotional support; and (c) the sensitivity and effectiveness of various comforting strategies. Several significant differences due to ethnicity were found in participants’perceptions of emotional support and its attendant behaviors. These and related findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the conduct of same‐sex friendship among individuals from different ethnic backgrounds.
Social support in spouses of cancer patients: What do they get and to what end?
Authors: PTACEK J. T. , PIERCE GREGORY R. , DODGE KENNETH L. , PTACEK JOHN J.
Published: May 2005

Using a retrospective design, the authors assessed several different aspects of social support (perceived, received, satisfaction with received, and support seeking) in 95 spouses of cancer survivors. The goals of the investigation were to (a) describe in detail the differences between husbands and wives on these support dimensions and (b) explore whether the relation between support and adjustment was different for husbands as compared to wives. While husbands and wives were generally similar‐in their general perceptions of available support and in the amount of support they reported seeking, consistent with our hypothesis, compared to husbands of breast cancer victims, wives of prostate cancer victims reported receiving more support and being more satisfied with the support they received. Measures of social support predicted husbands’reports of marital satisfaction and adjustment, but not wives’reports. Partial correlation analyses indicated that sex differences in these support‐adjustment links were not attributable to differences in age, or in the time between completing treatment and participating in the study. Sex differences observed in the present study are interpreted as highlighting the need for theory development to account for the complex mechanisms underlying links between supportive transactions and marital satisfaction and adjustment.
Loneliness, exchange orientation, and reciprocity in friendships
Authors: BUUNK BRAM P. , PRINS KARIN S.
Published: May 2005

Guided by equity theory, this study among 185 Dutch students explored the effects of exchange orientation and reciprocity in the relationship with the best friend upon loneliness. Reciprocity was in general more common in this relationship than feeling advantaged or deprived. The association between reciprocity and loneliness was as predicted on the basis of equity theory: Those feeling deprived as well as those feeling advantaged in the relationship with the best friend reported much more loneliness than those perceiving reciprocity in terms of giving and receiving help. The association between reciprocity and loneliness was especially pronounced among those high in overbenefitting exchange orientation, but not among those high in underbenefitting exchange orientation. However, more loneliness was found among those high in underbenefitting exchange orientation, independent of the degree of reciprocity in the relationship with the best friend. The effects of lack of reciprocity and exchange orientation upon loneliness remained the same when self‐esteem was included as a covariate.
The subjective experience of intimacy, passion, and commitment in heterosexual loving relationships
Authors: MARSTON PETER J. , HECHT MICHAEL L. , MANKE MELODEE L. , MCDANIEL SUSAN , REEDER HEIDI
Published: May 2005

Lovers’responses to open‐ended questions concerning the experience and communication of intimacy, passion, and commitment were content‐ and factor‐analyzed. These analyses resulted in six ways of experiencing intimacy (openness, sex, affection, supportiveness, togetherness, and quiet company); two ways of experiencing passion (romance and sexual intimacy); and five ways of experiencing commitment (supportiveness, expressions of love, fidelity, expressions of commitment, and consideration and devotion). These results suggest that love, intimacy, passion, and commitment are best conceived as related, overlapping gestalts in the subjective experiences of actual lovers.
Dependency and insecurity in romantic relationships: Development and validation of two companion scales
Authors: ATTRIDGE MARK , BERSCHEID ELLEN , SPRECHER SUSAN
Published: May 2005

This article presents self‐report scales for the assessment of perceived dependency and insecurity in a romantic relationship. These scales were originally developed many years ago (Fei & Berscheid, 1977) but were never published. The process of original scale development is summarized, and results from five studies (total N= 1,283; including data from the original Fei & Berscheid studies) are presented showing evidence for (a) scale reliability and validity; (b) the association between dependency and insecurity and the relationship conditions that moderate this association; (c) the association of dependency and insecurity with other theoretically relevant dimensions of close relationships; and (d) dyadic‐level issues of partner similarity and correlates of discrepancies in levels of dependency and insecurity. The results indicate that the two scales are reliable, valid, and associated with many other relationship constructs (e.g., commitment, love, closeness, and attachment).
Sibling relationships in early adulthood: A typology
Authors: STEWART ROBERT B. , VERBRUGGE KRISTINE M. , BEILFUSS MORGAN C.
Published: May 2005

This investigation attempted to classify adult sibling relationships into a small number of discrete types and to describe those sibling relationship types in terms of the relative warmth, conflict, and rivalry experienced by members of the sibling dyad. Adult participants (N= 267), ranging in age from 17 to 56 years, were asked to complete surveys describing their relationship with the biological sibling who was closest in age to themselves. Using the theoretical categories developed by Murphy (1993) in her study of young siblings, a retrospective questionnaire was constructed to classify the respondent's relationship with his or her sibling as Caretaker, Buddy, or Casual. Along with these three groups, a fourth type of sibling relationship was detected that closely resembled the Loyal subgroup described by Gold (1989) in her study of sibling relationships among the elderly. Differences among these four groups were assessed with the Adult Sibling Relationship Questionnaire developed by Lanthier and Stocker (1993). Group differences are summarized, and several potential developmental paths from childhood to adulthood for the various types of sibling relationships are outlined.
Subjective determinants of attraction: Self‐perceived causes of the rise and decline of liking, love, and being in love
Authors: LAMM HELMUT , WIESMANN ULRICH , KELLER KARSTEN
Published: May 2005

Eighty‐one female students at a German university were asked to indicate in writing (a) how they would come to like, love, and be in love with someone, and (b) how in their case liking, loving, and being in love with someone would come to an end. The responses were analyzed using a comprehensive list of 117 determinants developed for this study, which were grouped into four causal categories–P (person), O (other), P×O (relational), and E (environmental) conditions. Regarding the rise of attraction, the most frequent determinant for liking and for being in love was the existence of positive attributes of O (69% and 63%); for love, it was the existence of positive feelings from O (29%). Regarding the decline of attraction, the most frequent determinant for liking was negative behavior on O's part (42%); for love, abuse of one's trust by O (25%); and for being in love, disillusionment with regard to O (44%). Further analyses (including ANOVAs) involved the mean frequencies for the four causal categories. Concerning the rise of attraction sentiments, P causes were predominant for love and O causes were predominant for liking and for being in love; P×O causes were particularly infrequent for being in love. Concerning the decline of attraction sentiments, only for liking was one causal category predominant (O causes). E causes were hardly mentioned for both the rise and the decline focus. The findings are discussed in the context of both the more traditional research on “objective” determinants of attraction and, in particular, of recent research on the subjective (common‐sense or implicit) understanding of liking, love, and being in love.
Popular images of grandparents: Examining young adults’views of their closest grandparents
Authors: BOON SUSAN D. , BRUSSONI MARIANA J.
Published: May 2005

Young adults (N= 171) first judged the extent to which 13 stereotyped images of grandparents typified their perceptions of their own closest grandparent and then judged the extent to which they believed the average other viewed these same stereotypes as characteristic of his or her closest grandparent. Compared to those whose relationships with their closest grandparent were emotionally distant, participants who felt close to their closest grandparent reported significantly more favorable own grandparent attitudes. In addition, stereotypes that portrayed the grandparent as loving and supportive were especially diagnostic of the emotional quality of respondents’relationships with their closest grandparents. Comparing judgments of own grandparents with judgments of the average other's grandparent, there was no evidence of own‐grandparent superiority among not‐close participants’responses. In contrast, close participants demonstrated own‐grandparent superiority in their judgments of negative, but not positive, stereotypes.
Tight lips?: Aging mothers’and adult daughters’responses to interpersonal tensions in their relationships
Authors: FINGERMAN KAREN L.
Published: May 2005

Mothers and daughters maintain strong positive relationships despite interpersonal tensions. This study examined the ways in which older mothers and their adult daughters handle problems in their relationships. Forty‐eight dyads of healthy, aging mothers (mean age, 76 years) and their adult daughters (mean age, 44 years) participated. Rusbult's (1980) model of relationship investment was used as a framework for exploring how mothers and daughters might react when upset with the other party. Self‐reports and observed behaviors across individual and joint interviews were examined. The mothers and daughters seemed to rely on constructive approaches to deal with problems in their relationship. Mothers tended to rely on loyalty behaviors more than their daughters did, but findings pertaining to such responses are complex. Reactions to problems in this relationship did not appear to be related to levels of investment, regard for the relationship, or frequency of tensions. The implications of this study for understanding the strength of mothers’and daughters’ties are discussed.
Of lust and love: Beliefs about the role of sexual desire in romantic relationships
Authors: REGAN PAMELA C.
Published: May 2005

Little is known about the beliefs that men and women have about the role of sexual desire in romantic relationships, despite the interpersonal and individual significance of those beliefs. Three experiments conducted with students from a university in the midwestern United States examined both the perceived consequences of sexual desire for romantic relationships and beliefs about the association between sexual desire and romantic love. Men and women believed that dating partners who desire each other sexually are more likely to experience romantic love and other “positive” interpersonal events and less likely to experience “negative” events than partners who do not desire each other sexually, regardless of their level of sexual activity (Experiment 1). Similarly, partners who are romantically in love were viewed as more likely to desire each other than were partners who love or who like one another, and desire was perceived as equally likely to occur in loving and liking relationships; that is, sexual desire did not differentiate these two affective syndromes (Experiment 2). In couples with a mismatched sexual desire pattern, the high‐desire partner was perceived as more likely than the sexually uninterested partner to be in love, satisfied, committed, happy, and jealous, whereas the low‐desire partner was viewed as more likely to terminate the relationship and to be unfaithful (Experiment 3). These results suggest that sexual desire is viewed as an important feature of romantic love, and that its presence or absence in a dating relationship is believed to have implications for the emotional tenor and interpersonal dynamics of that relationship.
Positive illusion in close relationships
Authors: MARTZ JOHN M. , VERETTE JULIE , ARRIAGA XIMENA B. , SLOVIK LINDA F. , COX CHANTE L. , RUSBULT CARYL E.
Published: May 2005

The literature regarding self‐other comparisons suggests that self‐enhancing perceptions are prevalent, including forms of “illusion” such as excessively positive self‐evaluation, unrealistic optimism, and exaggerated perceptions of control. Concepts from optimal distinctiveness theory served as the basis for two experiments examining whether illusion functions similarly when the context of evaluation involves a relationship. In both experiments participants rated themselves, the best friend, and the average other—or their own romantic relationships, the best friend's relationship, and the relationship of the average other–using scales measuring positivity of evaluation, optimism regarding the future, and perceptions of control. In both experiments, participants exhibited centrality‐based differentiation, rating targets more favorably to the degree that the target was more central to their social identity. Patterns of differentiation differed for the two contexts: In the individual context, participants differentiated themselves and their friends from the average other. In the relationship context, participants differentiated their own relationships from the relationships of friends and average others. Also, participants rated individuals as more controllable than relationships. Participants in Experiment 2 provided information regarding potential predictors of illusion. Analyses of these data suggest that favorable centrality‐based differentiation may be partially accounted for by impression management, global self‐esteem (particularly in the individual context), and commitment level (particularly in the relationship context).
Antecedents and consequences of explicit agreements to declare a topic taboo in dating relationships
Authors: ROLOFF MICHAEL E. , IFERT DANETTE
Published: May 2005

Some intimates try to prevent relational problems by agreeing not to talk about them again. This article investigates the antecedents and consequences of explicitly or implicitly declaring a topic taboo. A survey of college daters indicated that explicit agreements are more likely when individuals declare the topics unimportant to their relationship, but are less likely when the topic is perceived to be relationally harmful. Furthermore, prolonged discussion prior to declaring a topic taboo increases the explicitness of the accord. Relational satisfaction is negatively associated with the number of taboo topics, and with the degree to which such agreements are explicit. However, the association between satisfaction and explicitness is moderated by relational commitment. The negative association is only statistically significant among individuals who are relatively uncommitted or moderately committed to their relationship. Furthermore, this ordinal interaction proves to be a more powerful predictor of relational satisfaction that is the number of taboo topics.