bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social competence as a predictor of chronic interpersonal stress
Authors: HERZBERG DAVID S. , HAMMEN CONSTANCE , BURGE DORLI , DALEY SHANNON E. , DAVILA JOANNE , LINDBERG NANGEL
Published: May 2005

This 1‐year prospective study tested Segrin and Abramson's (1994) social skills‐stress hypothesis in a community sample of 137 late‐adolescent females. The study found that self‐reported interpersonal competence at initial evaluation predicted a significant proportion of the variance in chronic interpersonal stress 1 year later, even when prior chronic interpersonal stress and concurrent psychopathology were controlled. Exploratory analyses suggested that deficiencies in the ability to provide emotional support to others may function as a risk factor for the generation of interpersonal stress. These results provide support for theories (e.g., Hammen, 1991b) that emphasize a bidirectional causal relationship between stress and psychological adjustment.
Do you remember?: Recollections of adult attachment patterns
Authors: SCHARFE ELAINE , BARTHOLOMEW KIM
Published: May 2005

To determine if memory biases influence recall of attachment patterns, we examined retrospective reports of adult attachment patterns in a sample of young established couples. At time 1, participants reported their attachment patterns on a self‐report attachment measure (RQ). Eight months later, participants completed the RQ to assess their current attachment patterns, as well as their memory of their attachment patterns 8 months earlier. Seventy‐eight percent of participants reported that their past attachment category was consistent with their current category, and 58% of participants accurately recalled their predominant time 1 attachment category. Parallel results were obtained with continuous attachment ratings We also found strong reconstructive biases: Participants’memories of their past attachment patterns were biased by their current patterns. Secure and insecure individuals did not differ in their perceptions of stability, their accuracy of recall, or the degree to which they demonstrated a consistency bias. Finally, with few exceptions, memories for time 1 attachment ratings were not biased by current relationship satisfaction, current partner attachment ratings, or reported life events. The importance of studying reconstructive biases in the field of adult attachment is discussed.
“Be careful what you wish for…”: A quantitative and qualitative investigation of “fata1 attractions”
Authors: FELMLEE DIANE H.
Published: May 2005

This study uses questionnaire data from 301 terminated romantic relationships to investigate hypotheses concerning the conditions under which a quality that is initially appealing in a partner is later disliked (i.e., a “fatal attraction”). Individuals are expected to be prone to fatal attractions when they are attracted to a quality in a romantic partner that is “different” in any of three ways: (1) different from the individual's own qualities (i.e., dissimilar); (2) different from average (i.e., extreme, or unique); or (3) different from normative expectations (i.e., gender atypical). Such attractions are less likely, however, when individuals are drawn to similarity in another. Findings from a logistic regression analysis provide support for four of the five hypotheses. Fatal attractions are significantly more likely when an individual is drawn to partner characteristics seen either as “dissimilar” from her or his own, as “unique,” or as “extreme” in nature. When these characteristics are viewed as “similar,” disenchantment is less likely. Fatal attractions are neither more, nor less, probable, however, when partner qualities contradict gender stereotypes. A qualitative analysis of open‐ended questionnaire responses provides further support for these attraction patterns. The findings have implications for diverse theories, including those of mate selection and dialectics.
“We never talk about that”: A comparison of cross‐sex friendships and dating relationships on uncertainty and topic avoidance
Authors: AFIFI WALID A. , BURGOON JUDEE K.
Published: May 2005

Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) proposes that individuals have a need to reduce uncertainty and that elevated levels of uncertainty are associated with relational dissatisfaction. Research on cross‐sex friendships suggests that these relationships may be characterized by elevated levels of uncertainty and topic avoidance. This investigation addresses the role of uncertainty as a theoretical construct that may be useful for explaining behavior in cross‐sex friendships. Specifically, we address the relationship between uncertainty and topic avoidance, and compare cross‐sex friendships and dating relationships on these variables. The results significantly extend past research on cross‐sex friendships and suggest that uncertainty may often be tolerated in cases where the expected information is undesirable.
Attitudes toward men's intergenerational financial obligations to older and younger male family members following divorce
Authors: COLEMAN MARILYN , GANONG LAWRENCE H.
Published: May 2005

In this study 116 men and 200 women randomly selected from phone books in the midwestern United States responded to a vignette designed to assess their attitudes about the obligation of men toward intergenerational family financial obligations following divorce. The hypotheses were: (1) Men will be perceived to have greater obligations to financially assist a father than to assist a stepfather or former father‐in‐law, and (2) men will be perceived to have greater obligations to financially assist a son than to assist an elderly family member. An additional research question was addressed: What rationale do people give to explain their beliefs about men's intergenerational financial obligations following divorce? Data were analyzed using chi‐square tests (forced‐choice responses) and qualitative methods (open‐ended responses). Both hypotheses were supported. Obligation was greatest to offspring, followed by fathers, stepfathers, and former fathers‐in‐law. However, attitudes about intergenerational obligations were contextual, and they depended on relationship quality, resources available, acuity of need, and ongoing commitments.
Communication patterns during marital conflict: A cross‐cultural replication
Authors: BODENMANN GUY , KAISER ANDREA , HAHLWEG KURT , FEHM‐WOLFSDORF GABRIELE
Published: May 2005

This study examines the reliability and validity of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ) from Christensen and Sullaway (1984). The CPQ is a relatively new questionnaire aimed at assessing marital communication at the dyadic level. It addresses communication patterns involving the behavior of both members of the dyad rather than just one partner. The CPQ permits the evaluation of communication in close relationships on three scales: (a) mutual constructive communication; (b) mutual avoidance of communication; (c) demand/withdrawal. Previous research among American samples has yielded empirical evidence concerning the reliability and validity of this instrument. The current study focuses upon whether the CPQ may also be applied to European subjects. To address this question, a German and a Swiss sample were used. Our results demonstrate that the questionnaire's reliability and validity also prove satisfactory among European samples. In both studies, communication avoidance and withdrawal were negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction.
Parental divorce, parent–child relations, and early adult relationships: A longitudinal Australian study
Authors: BURNS AILSA , DUNLOP ROSEMARY
Published: May 2005

Evidence shows that the children of divorce are themselves more prone to relationship breakdown, and it has been argued that poorer parent‐child relations are one cause of this intergenerational transmission. The issue is explored in a longitudinal sample of adolescents from divorced and nondivorced homes. The sample was interviewed at the time of parental divorce for the target group (N=78), when they were aged 13 to 16, again 3 years later (N=65), and again 10 years later (N=67), when aged 23 to 27. At each wave of interviews, respondents completed the Parent Bonding Inventory (PBI), a measure of the child's perception of each parent's behavior toward him or her. At age 23 to 27 years, respondents also completed measures of their attitudes to relationships and intimacy with peers, their satisfaction with their current close relationships, and the amount of conflict within these relationships. No differences were found on the adult relationship measures between those from divorced and nondivorced families, or between sons and daughters. However, at each wave of interviews, fathers were seen as less caring than mothers, and divorced fathers were seen as particularly low in care. There were no differences in the descriptions of divorced and nondivorced mothers. Time 3 ratings of mothers and fathers on care and overprotection were correlated with all the adult relationship measures, and the Time 1 and Time 2 father ratings also predicted the adult relationship measures Care ratings were more strongly associated with the outcome measures than were overprotection ratings, but Time 1 father overprotection ratings and Time 3 mother overprotection ratings were also relevant. The relative importance of the different scales—and their interaction with the age of the child—is briefly discussed.
When does partner devaluation predict emotional distress? Prospective moderating effects of reassurance‐seeking and self‐esteem
Authors: KATZ JENNIFER , BEACH STEVEN R. H. , JOINER THOMAS E.
Published: May 2005

Coyne's (1976b) interpersonal theory of depression asserts that devaluation and rejection by relationship partners may exacerbate depressive symptoms. We tested this assertion empirically and investigated two theoretically based moderators of this effect: reassurance‐seeking and self‐esteem level. Dating women (N= 134) completed measures of depression, reassurance‐seeking, and self‐esteem at Time 1 and a measure of depression at Time 2 six weeks later. Male partners completed a measure of devaluation of the women. Partner devaluation was not associated with increased emotional distress for women across the entire sample. However, significant moderating effects of both reassurance‐seeking and self‐esteem level were found. Partner devaluation predicted increased emotional distress among women who reported high levels of reassurance‐seeking and among women who reported low levels of self‐esteem. Results are discussed in terms of convergence with Coyne's theory.
Negative affectivity as a mediator of the association between adult attachment and marital satisfaction
Authors: DAVILA JOANNE , BRADBURY THOMAS N. , FINCHAM FRANK
Published: May 2005

Although the association between adult attachment and marital satisfaction is well documented, research has not examined processes by which attachment affects satisfaction. Drawing on attachment‐oriented conceptualizations of affect regulation, the present study tested the hypothesis that negative affectivity mediates the association between attachment and marital satisfaction. Data from two samples of married couples were used to test the hypothesis. In both samples, negative affectivity mediated the association between some aspects of attachment insecurity and marital dissatisfaction, although attachment also retained a direct association with marital satisfaction in a number of cases. Results are discussed in terms of attachment‐oriented conceptualizations of the function of negative emotion in marriage, and the empirical and conceptual overlap between attachment and negative affectivity.
Interpersonal risk and the evaluation of transgressions in close relationships
Authors: BOON SUSAN D. , HOLMES JOHN G.
Published: May 2005

An experiment examined individuals’willingness to excuse a romantic partner of blame for a transgression when perceptions that a relationship is risky are salient. Participants evaluated an actual transgression on measures tapping three levels of appraisal: (a) initial impressions of the act (i.e., severity of the transgression), (b) considerations of the context in which it occurred (i.e., judgments about excuses and extenuating context), and (c) judgments about its broader implications for the relationship (attributions of globality). Evaluator perspective was also varied. Half the participants (actors) evaluated their own partner's wrongdoing; half (observers) evaluated another participant's partner's wrongdoing. Compared to controls, risk participants rated the transgression as more severe and were more cautious and risk‐averse in assessing the merits of potentially excusing information. Evaluator perspective did not influence these judgments, a finding consistent with a cognitive interpretation of the results. In contrast, the effects of risk on judgments of globality were more pronounced among observers than among actors, suggesting that motivational pressures come into play when the evaluative stakes are higher.
Gender‐related personality traits and interpersonal resource exchange among brother—sister relationships
Authors: GAINES STANLEY O. , RUGG MARLANA A. , ZEMORE SARAH E. , ARMM JANEEN L. , YUM NANCY , LAW ANDY , UNDERHILL JOHN M. , FELDMAN KAREN
Published: May 2005

Brother‐sister relationships are understudied within the field of personal relationships. Accordingly, the present study examines patterns of interpersonal resource exchange (drawing upon resource exchange theory; Foa & Foa, 1974), along with influences of gender‐related personality traits (i.e., agency and communion) on individuals’giving of interpersonal resources (i.e., affection and respect), among 79 brother‐sister pairs. Consistent with predictions, brothers’and sisters’exchanges of both affection and respect were positive and significant. Also, consistent with predictions, communion was a positive and significant predictor of respectful behavior among sisters. However, contrary to hypotheses, communion did not achieve or approach significance as a predictor of respectful behavior among brothers, nor did communion achieve or approach significance as a predictor of affectionate behavior among sisters or brothers Implications for the study of male‐female relationships in general—and brother‐sister relationships in particular—are discussed.
The Individuality and Connectedness Q‐sort: A measure for assessing individuality and connectedness in dyadic relationships
Authors: BENGTSON PHYLLIS L. , GROTEVANT HAROLD D.
Published: May 2005

A Q‐sort, based on Grotevant and Cooper's (1986) model of individuation, was developed to assess individuality and connectedness in dyadic relationships. A criterion sort for each construct was developed on the basis of ratings from eight experts. The mean intercorrelation among the eight raters was .85 for individuality and .89 for connectedness. This Q‐sort was then used to rate 46 middle‐class Caucasian parents who were previously assessed on similar constructs using a micro‐coding method, the Family Discourse Code (Condon, Cooper, & Grotevant, 1984). Correlations between similar constructs were significant. This Q‐sort has five improvements over the Family Discourse Code: Behaviors representing the absence as well as the presence of a construct are coded; salience as well as frequency of behavior determines item placement; coders do not require knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of items; there is less chance of response bias; and it provides a means of standardizing the assessment of individuality and connectedness across samples.
Commitment and the perpetration of relationship violence
Authors: GAERTNER LOWELL , FOSHEE VANGIE
Published: May 2005

We employed the investment model of commitment (Rusbult, 1983) to examine the independent effects of commitment and relationship duration on the perpetration of common couple violence (i.e., instances of physical violence that occasionally arise in conflict situations; Johnson, 1995). Data are from self‐administered questionnaires completed by 722 “currently dating” adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades in a rural public school district in North Carolina. Roughly 10% of the adolescents reported using violence (i.e., hitting, pushing, shoving, kicking, or assaulting with a weapon) against their current partner that was not used as self‐defense. The majority of the violent relationships involved the reciprocal use of violence by both partners. Both commitment and duration exerted independent effects upon the perpetration of common couple violence. Consistent with the relationship violence literature, relationship members became more likely to use violence against their partner as the duration of the relationship increased. However, consistent with research that indicates that commitment leads individuals to forgo immediate‐self interest and to instead maximize the needs of the relationship, relationship members became less likely to use violence as their commitment to the relationship increased. Furthermore, a gender difference was found in terms of the relationship between violence and variables that promote commitment. Although decreased relationship satisfaction increased the use of violence for both males and females, the increased quality of alternative relationships also increased the use of violence for males. The current findings are consistent with the idea that, whereas relationship duration simply makes partners more accessible to one another, commitment promotes cooperative strategies for conflict resolution.
Relational models theory: A confirmatory factor analysis
Authors: HASLAM NICK , FISKE ALAN PAGE
Published: May 2005

Descriptive taxonomies of social relationships typically propose independent, bipolar dimensions, such as warmth/hostility, equality/inequality, and formality/informality. Relational models theory (Fiske, 1991), in contrast, proposes four potentially correlated, unipolar relational models. Features of the four models were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses that tested the unipolarity and non‐independence assumptions on a large sample of social relationships. Findings supported the hypothesis that the models correspond to coherent, correlated, and unipolar factors.
Weaving a tapestry of relational assistance: A qualitative investigation of interpersonal support among reservation‐residing Navajo teenage mothers
Authors: DALLA ROCHELLE L. , GAMBLE WENDY C.
Published: May 2005

The social context of teenage parenting among reservation‐residing, Navajo Native Americans was examined. Intensive interviews were conducted with Navajo adolescent mothers who described their primary agents of support, types of support received, and experiences with interpersonal conflict. The teenagers’mothers were interviewed and provided additional information regarding the mother‐daughter relationship and their role in the provision of support. Interviews were tape‐recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using Phenomonological Descriptive Analysis (Colaizzi, 1978). Variability in support provided by grandmothers was observed and examined relative to relationship histories and other life experiences. Relationships with male partners were described as tenuous; they provided little support to the teenage mothers. Peers, too, were reported as minimal providers of support and maternity as disruptive in the maintenance of adolescent friendships. Grandmother reports concurred with those of their teenage parenting daughters. Implications for policy and intervention are described.
Being better than others but otherwise perfectly normal: Perceptions of uniqueness and similarity in close relationships
Authors: VAN LANGE PAUL A. M. , RUSBULT CARYL E. , SEMIN‐GOOSSENS ASTRID , GÖRTS CARIEN A. , STALPERS MIRJAM
Published: May 2005

The current research addresses individuals' self‐generated thoughts regarding their own and others' relationships, examining the ways in which perceptions of uniqueness and similarity are manifested in judgments regarding own and others' responses to dissatisfying incidents. Consistent with the uniqueness bias, participants characterized their own relationships by a greater number of constructive responses and a smaller number of destructive responses relative to characterizations of others' relationships. Moreover, external raters judged own constructive responses to be more constructive than others' constructive responses. Consistent with the similarity bias, external raters judged items describing others' responses to be less frequently occurring and more extreme than their own responses. Also, this research revealed support for the claim that the similarity bias is more pronounced for destructive responses than for constructive responses. A recall task corroborated these findings, revealing very good recall for destructive responses enacted by others and poor recall for destructive responses enacted by oneself.
All marriages are not maintained equally: Marital type, marital quality, and the use of maintenance behaviors
Authors: WEIGEL DANIEL J. , BALLARD‐REISCH DEBORAH S.
Published: May 2005

Although a growing amount of research has shown that married couples enact behaviors that maintain or preserve the relationship, little attention has examined how maintenance strategies are used in different types of marriages. This study investigated differences in the use of maintenance behaviors and in perceptions of marital quality across various marital types and explored the relationship between maintenance behaviors, marital types and key indicators of marital quality. Data collected from 141 married couples indicated that couples differed in the use of maintenance behaviors among various marital types. Further, the relationship between maintenance behaviors and perceptions of the key indicators of marital quality varied depending upon couples’ideological frameworks. The findings allow for a better picture of the use of maintenance behaviors in different types of marriages.
Charting the topography of risky relationship experiences
Authors: BOON SUSAN D. , PASVEER KAREN A.
Published: May 2005

The present study examined people's accounts of risky relationship experiences, with the aim of documenting (a) the types of issues and events that people view as “danger zones” in their dating relationships as well as (b) the feelings and emotions that they experience in response to situations in which such risks arise. A detailed content analysis of participants’(N= 51) risk accounts revealed a considerable diversity in both the range of risk experiences recalled and their affective concomitants. The results suggest that individuals’relational concerns vary widely and, more importantly, that there may be important connections or links between certain of the relational circumstances that occasion feelings of risk (e.g., acts of self‐disclosure and fears of negative evaluation). In addition, although participants employed an extensive vocabulary of affect terms in describing their emotional responses to the risks they faced, we found little evidence that particular types of risks (e.g., concerns about relationship exclusivity) elicited particular types of affective response (e.g., sadness). Feelings of fear and anxiety appeared more frequently across accounts than any other emotions, a finding that held generally true even when we considered the type of risk recalled.
Influence of individual and interpersonal factors on satisfaction and stability in romantic relationships
Authors: FITZPATRICK JACKI , SOLLIE DONNA L.
Published: May 2005

Guided by Bradbury and Fincham's (1988) contextual model, the current study examined the influence of distal factors that reflect orientations toward relationships (relationship standards, attachment motivation, autonomy motivation) and proximal factors that reflect patterns of interaction (self‐disclosure, socioemotional behaviors, conflict tactics) on satisfaction in romantic relationships. Although we expected both types of factors would be associated with satisfaction, we hypothesized that the daily interactional patterns would mediate the relationship between the individual factors and satisfaction. At Time 1, individual factors and satisfaction were measured via questionnaire, and interpersonal factors were measured via a 2‐week daily interaction record. The results indicated the individual factors of attachment motivation and autonomy motivation, and the interpersonal factors of self‐disclosure and positive socioemotional behaviors were related to satisfaction. Regression analysis indicated the proximal factors partially mediated the relationship between the distal factors and Satisfaction. At Time 2 (approximately 6 months later), slightly more than half of the original sample was contacted to assess respondents’relationship status; those respondents whose relationships were stable (continued over time) had significantly higher mean scores on attachment, positive behaviors, and self‐disclosure at Time 1 than did respondents whose relationships had dissolved. Taken together, these results suggest that attachment and prosocial communications are central dimensions contributing to satisfaction and stability in dating relationships.
Predicting marital satisfaction from behavior: Do all roads really lead to Rome?
Authors: GILL DEBRA S. , CHRISTENSEN ANDREW , FINCHAM FRANK D.
Published: May 2005

The concurrent and longitudinal associations between spousal communication and marital satisfaction were investigated using two systems of observation (rating and coding) and two statistical methods. A coding system and a rating system were used to assess the amount of positive, negative, and avoidant behavior exhibited by 30 couples engaged in a 15‐minute discussion about a marital problem. Change scores as well as regression methods were used to calculate correlations between communication behaviors and one‐year change in Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) scores. Positive behavior by both spouses predicted an increase in wives' satisfaction, and negative behavior by both spouses predicted a decrease in wives' satisfaction. None of the variables consistently predicted changes in husbands' satisfaction. The two systems of observation and the two methods of analysis produced similar though not identical results. The article discusses the constructs of negative and avoidant behavior, reviews limitations of standard marital research methods, and offers theoretical and methodological recommendations for future research.
Level of commitment, mutuality of commitment, and couple well‐being
Authors: DRIGOTAS STEPHEN M. , RUSBULT CARYL E. , VERETTE JULIE
Published: May 2005

Interdependence theory identifies level of dependence and mutuality of dependence as two key properties of interdependent relationships. In ongoing relationships, these structural properties are subjectively experienced in terms of commitment–dependence level is experienced as greater or lesser commitment level, and mutuality of dependence is experienced as greater or lesser perceived mutuality in partners’commitment levels. We examined the associations of these variables with couple well‐being using data from two three‐wave longitudinal studies. One study examined partners in dating relationships and the second study examined partners in marital relationships. Consistent with predictions, both level of commitment and perceived mutuality of commitment accounted for unique variance in couple well‐being: Couples exhibited greater adjustment to the degree that the partners were highly committed to their relationship and to the degree that their commitment levels were mutual. Mediation analyses revealed that the association of mutuality of commitment with couple well‐being is partially mediated by negative affect (e.g., anxiety, guilt) and partially to wholly mediated by trust level; perceived mutuality of power is not a reliable mediator of this association.
Partner effects in relationship research: Conceptual issues, analytic difficulties, and illustrations
Authors: KENNY DAVID A. , COOK WILLIAM
Published: May 2005

This article discusses the conceptual meaning of partner effects, which occur when one person is affected by the behavior or characteristics of his or her partner. We show that partner effects can be used to validate the presence of a relationship and can elaborate the particular nature of that relationship. We discuss possible moderation of partner effects and show that many theoretical variables in relationship research (e.g., similarity) can be viewed as the interactions of partner effects with other variables. We present three extended examples that illustrate the importance of partner effects.
The social relations model for family data: A multilevel approach
Authors: SNIJDERS TOM A.B. , KENNY DAVID A.
Published: May 2005

Multilevel models are proposed to study relational or dyadic data from multiple persons in families or other groups. The variable under study is assumed to refer to a dyadic relation between individuals in the groups. The proposed models are elaborations of the Social Relations Model. The different roles of father, mother, and child are emphasized in these models. Multilevel models provide researchers with a method to estimate the variances and correlations of the Social Relations Model and to incorporate the effects of covariates and test specialized models, even with missing observations.
The adult attachment interview and the relationship questionnaire: Relations to reports of mothers and partners
Authors: CROWELL JUDITH A. , TREBOUX DOMINIQUE , WATERS EVERETT
Published: May 2005

The study asked the following questions: How do interview and self‐report assessments of attachment status correspond? What is the relation between attachment status assessed by these methods to self‐reports of relationships with mothers and partners? Participants were 53 married white women assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), and a variety of questionnaires assessing love, trust, and closeness in relationships with mothers and partners. Results indicated a trend toward a relation between AAI and RQ classifications: 81% of women classified as Secure with the AAI identified themselves as Secure with the RQ, but only 42% of AAI‐Insecure women identified themselves as Insecure with the RQ. Secure and Insecure AAI groups did not differ in their reports of mothers or partners, whereas Secure and Insecure RQ groups did. Results indicated classifications derived from the measures are not equivalent.
Attachment and expectations about future relationships: Moderation by accessibility
Authors: WHITAKER DANIEL J. , BEACH STEVEN R. H. , ETHERTON JOE , WAKEFIELD RICH , ANDERSON PAGE L.
Published: May 2005

This article examined the relationship between internal working models of self and other (Bowlby, 1969) and expectations for satisfaction in a future relationship, and how that relationship is moderated by the accessibility of one's internal models. Study one showed that the model of self was predictive of expected satisfaction, but the model of other was not. In study two, the results of study one were replicated. However, using a reaction time task to measure the chronic accessibility of internal models, it was shown that the relationship between model of self and expected satisfaction existed only for people with highly accessible internal models. The implications of these findings for a more cognitive view of attachment‐processes is discussed.
Two of a kind: Perceptions of own and partner's attachment characteristics
Authors: RUVOLO ANN P. , FABIN LISA A.
Published: May 2005

Because it is universally relevant, and because it is formed in infancy, giving it a strong preconscious quality, attachment was chosen for a study of Allport's (1924) construct of social projection. Individuals in 301 dating couples rated themselves and their partners on each of four continuous attachment dimensions (i.e., security, dismissiveness, preoccupation, fearfulness). The individual's own rating on a particular dimension significantly predicted the individual's perception of how the partner rated on the dimension, after controlling for the partner's self‐rating on the dimension. Thus people perceived their partners to be more similar to themselves than they really were, demonstrating social projection. In general, the higher the degree of emotional intimacy was, the more social projection was demonstrated.
The paradox of trust for male couples: When risking is a part of loving
Authors: APPLEBY PAUL ROBERT , MILLER LYNN CAROL , ROTHSPAN SADINA
Published: May 2005

Among gay men, there is evidence to suggest that serious, committed male couples practice especially risky sex. To understand the reasons why male couples might take such risks, 92 participants (46 long‐term couples) were asked to complete a survey in which they independently indicated their sexual practices, why they engaged in them, and their attitudes toward relationships. Three sets of findings suggest a paradoxical relationship between emotional intimacy and sexual risk: (1) love, trust, and commitment were used more often to explain riskier than safer sex; (2) those more dependent upon their relationships and who desired a stable and lasting relationship practiced riskier sex; and (3) requesting safer sex had negative connotations (e.g., suspicion of extrarelationship sexual contacts). Of those who practiced safer sex (i.e., protected anal sex), 94% indicated that they did so because of their “fear of AIDS.” Implications of these findings for developing HIV interventions for male couples are discussed.
What's sex got to do with it? Attachment, love schemas, and sexuality
Authors: STEPHAN COOKIE WHITE , BACHMAN GUY F.
Published: May 2005

This study measured the effects of adult attachment styles on sexual behavior using Hatfield and Rapson's unified love schema theory. According to this theory, there are six love schemas, or adult attachment types. Four types parallel other four‐category adult attachment schemas, and two types not measured in previous research are uninterested in romantic relationships. Clear differences were found in sexual desires and behaviors of people possessing five of the love schemas. The results suggest the importance of pursuing the effects of attachment style on sexual behavior, as well as the utility of an attachment schema that allows individuals to classify themselves as disinterested in romantic relationships.
Jealousy and the nature of beliefs about infidelity: Tests of competing hypotheses about sex differences in the United States, Korea, and Japan
Authors: BUSS DAVID M. , SHACKELFORD TODD K. , KIRKPATRICK LEE A. , CHOE JAE C. , LIM HANG K. , HASEGAWA MARIKO , HASEGAWA TOSHIKAZU , BENNETT KEVIN
Published: May 2005

The different adaptive problems faced by men and women over evolutionary history led evolutionary psychologists to hypothesize and discover sex differences in jealousy as a function of infidelity type. An alternative hypothesis proposes that beliefs about the conditional probabilities of sexual and emotional infidelity account for these sex differences. Four studies tested these hypotheses. Study 1 tested the hypotheses in an American sample (N = 1,122) by rendering the types of infidelity mutually exclusive. Study 2 tested the hypotheses in an American sample (N = 234) by asking participants to identify which aspect of infidelity was more upsetting when both forms occurred, and by using regression to identify the unique contributions of sex and beliefs. Study 3 replicated Study 2 in a Korean sample (N = 190). Study 4 replicated Study 2 in a Japanese sample (N = 316). Across the studies, the evolutionary hypothesis, but not the belief hypothesis, accounted for sex differences in jealousy when the types of infidelity are rendered mutually exclusive; sex differences in which aspect of infidelity is more upsetting when both occur; significant variance attributable to sex, after controlling for beliefs; sex‐differentiated patterns of beliefs; and the cross‐cultural prevalence of all these sex differences.
The kiss of the porcupines: From attributing responsibility to forgiving
Authors: FINCHAM FRANK D.
Published: May 2005

How to maintain relatedness in the context of being harmed by others, especially an intimate partner, is a fundamental human challenge. Forgiveness provides a way of meeting this challenge as it removes the barrier to relatedness caused by a transgression. But scientists know very little about forgiveness and its role in close relationships. This article therefore offers a conceptual analysis of forgiveness. The analysis then serves as the foundation for an organizational framework that can be used to study forgiveness in close relationships. Finally, preliminary data are presented that speak to some of the issues introduced in the article.
The adult attachment interview and self‐reports of romantic attachment: Associations across domains and methods
Authors: SHAVER PHILLIP R. , BELSKY JAY , BRENNAN KELLY A.
Published: May 2005

Two lines of research on adult attachment have emerged; both are based on Bowlby and Ainsworth's attachment theory, which in turn relies on evolutionary theory. Investigators in one tradition use the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) to assess “state of mind with respect to attachment.” The AAI has been validated primarily by its ability to predict the attachment classification of an interviewee's child in Ainsworth's “strange situation.” Investigators in the second tradition use self‐report measures to assess romantic “attachment style.” The self‐report measures have been validated by their ability to predict features of romantic/marital relationships. Although the two constructs. state of mind and romantic attachment, are importantly different and so would not be expected to relate highly, some of their components, especially ability to depend on attachment figures, should be related if both stem from a person's attachment history. We report associations between components, or aspects, of the two measures. Overlap occurs mainly in the areas of comfort depending on attachment figures and comfort serving as an attachment figure for others. Implications of the findings for attachment theory and research, as well as for evolutionary psychology, are discussed.
Rejection sensitivity and male violence in romantic relationships
Authors: DOWNEY GERALDINE , FELDMAN SCOTT , AYDUK OZLEM
Published: May 2005

Rejection sensitivity is the disposition to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and intensely react to rejection by significant others. A model of the role of this disposition in male violence toward romantic partners is proposed. Specifically, it is proposed that rejection sensitivity is a vulnerability factor for two distinct maladaptive styles of coping with intimate relationships. Rejection‐sensitive men may attempt to prevent anticipated rejection by reducing their investment in intimate relationships. Alternatively, they may become highly invested in intimate relationships in search of an unconditionally supportive partner. Their low threshold for perceiving and overreacting to rejection, however, heightens their risk of responding aggressively to their partners’negative or ambiguous behavior. Cross‐sectional data from 217 male college students supported predictions derived from the model. Among college men who reported relatively high investment in romantic relationships, anxious expectations of rejection predicted dating violence. Among men who reported relatively low investment in romantic relationships, anxious expectations of rejection predicted reduced involvement in discretionary close relationships with friends and romantic partners and, more generally, increased distress in and avoidance of social situations.
Gender and friendship: Why are men's best same‐sex friendships less intimate and supportive?
Authors: BANK BARBARA J. , HANSFORD SUZANNE L.
Published: May 2005

Despite efforts to dismiss it, the finding that men's same‐sex friendships are less intimate and supportive than women's is robust and widely documented. We tested six possible explanations for this finding: lack of parental models for friendship, emotional restraint, homophobia, masculine self‐identity, competitive strivings, and role conflicts. Of these, emotional restraint and homophobia toward gay men provided the most explanatory power for gender effects on both intimacy and support in best friendships. Masculine self‐identity mediated the relationship between gender and intimate–but not supportive–friendship; and having a same‐sex parent with close friendships mediated the relationship between gender and supportive–but not intimate–friendship. Unexpected findings about the importance of a status orientation toward friendship suggest that researchers should abandon the male‐deficit model of friendship in favor of studying the reasons why some men and women seek close same‐sex friendships.
Marital conflict patterns: Links with family conflict and family members’perceptions of one another
Authors: NOLLER PATRICIA , FEENEY JUDITH A. , SHEEHAN GRANIA , PETERSON CANDIDA
Published: May 2005

The goal of this study was to explore the effects of marital conflict on conflict patterns in the family, and on family members’perceptions of one another. Sixty‐eight two‐parent families with adolescent twins participated, with parents reporting on the conflict patterns used by the marital dyad, and by themselves in interaction with each of their twins, and adolescent twins reporting on their interactions with each other. In addition, all four family members engaged in a videotaped decision‐making interaction and then made global ratings of each other on five dimensions. Links were obtained between marital conflict patterns and parent‐child conflict patterns, and between parent‐child conflict patterns and those used in sibling relationships. In contrast, marital conflict patterns were unrelated to sibling conflict patterns. Similarly, links were found between marital conflict and fathers’perceptions of their children, and between father‐child conflict and children's perceptions of each other. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical models of conflict resolution and the transmission of conflict patterns within the family.
The link between sociotropy/autonomy and dimensions of relationship commitment: Evidence from gay and lesbian couples
Authors: KURDEK LAWRENCE A.
Published: May 2005

The tendency to be excessively concerned about either interpersonal relationships (sociotropy) or self‐reliance (autonomy) has been regarded as increasing one's susceptibility to experience symptoms of depression. In this study, both one's own and one's partner's scores for each tendency were linked to two dimensions of one's own appraisal of relationship commitment (attractions to the relationship and constraints against leaving the relationship) in a sample of both partners from 29 gay and 35 lesbian cohabiting couples. One's own high autonomy was linked to perceiving few attractions to the relationship, whereas one's own high sociotropy was linked to perceiving many constraints to leaving the relationship under two conditions: when one's partner's sociotropy was low or when one regarded the partner as highly dependable. Findings support the view that individual differences variables may serve as either risk factors for or protective factors against difficulties in maintaining a close relationship and underscore the need to examine cross‐partner effects and moderating effects in identifying the individual differences variables linked to relationship functioning.
Combining idiographic and nomothetic methods in the study of internal working models
Authors: REICH WARREN A. , TUSKENIS ALBERT D. , SLUTZKY ALYSON W. , SIEGEL HAROLD I.
Published: May 2005

Attachment theory's notion of internal working model refers to an affective–cognitive structure that guides how individuals experience, and act within, their close relationships. Understanding working models in general (i.e., nomothetically) can be greatly enhanced by attending to the unique (i.e., idiographic) properties of individuals’data. A general method is described for eliciting and empirically representing both the common and unique properties of individuals’descriptions of self and others. This approach is illustrated by two studies in which participants described self and others in a variety of significant roles and relationships by choosing from a list of attachment‐related descriptive terms. A hierarchical clustering algorithm, HICLAS (DeBoeck & Rosenberg, 1988), is used to generate a unique graphical representation for each individual's responses. We illustrate the use of HICLAS to (a) assess nomothetic properties of the structures and relate those properties to other variables such as attachment style, and (b) link aspects of any individual's structure with other idiographic data such as interview narratives. Data from HICLAS enhances the interpretation of other, more qualitative idiographic information, and helps to produce new constructs, variables, and propositions amenable to rigorous hypothesis tests in future research.
The mediating influence of interpersonal problems on the intergenerational transmission of relationship aggression
Authors: MURPHY CHRISTOPHER M. , BLUMENTHAL DEBORAH R.
Published: May 2005

Intergenerational patterns of relationship aggression have received considerable theoretical attention and empirical support. A developmental account of such effects suggests that childhood exposure to family violence leads to interpersonal problems that are subsequently manifested in aggressive dating relationships. The current study tested this hypothesis using structural equation modeling with data from a sample of female college students (N= 207). The theoretical model of interest, in which interpersonal problems with dominance, intrusiveness, and vindictiveness fully mediate the link between violence in the family of origin and participation in physically aggressive dating relationships, provided a very good fit to the data. This mediational model was preferable to alternative models that (a) included both direct and indirect influences of family‐of‐origin violence, (b) reversed the direction of effects by modeling interpersonal problems with dominance as a result of intimate partner aggression; and (c) modeled interpersonal problems with submissiveness as mediating intergenerational violence patterns. The findings implicate interpersonal problems with dominance as an important mediating factor in the developmental pathway linking family‐of‐origin violence to intimate partner violence in adulthood for young adult women.
On the difficulty of distinguishing “good” and “poor” perceivers: A social relations analysis of empathic accuracy data
Authors: ICKES WILLIAM , BUYSSE ANN , PHAM HAO , RIVERS KERRI , ERICKSON JAMES R. , HANCOCK MELANIE , KELLEHER JOLI , GESN PAUL R.
Published: May 2005

Two studies were conducted to explore the reasons why replicable individual‐difference correlates of empathic accuracy have proved so difficult to find. In Study 1, we examined sources of variance in empathic accuracy data using the Social Relations Model (Kenny, 1988, 1994; Kenny & Albright, 1987; Malloy & Kenny, 1986). The results revealed substantial perceiver variance only in the type of research design in which a relatively large set of individual perceivers inferred the thoughts and feelings of the same set of target persons. In Study 2, we found evidence that even in this apparently optimal type of research design, the significant individual‐difference correlates of empathic accuracy were fewer and subject to more unexpected qualifications than the results of Davis and Kraus's (1997) meta‐analysis would suggest. So far, the “best candidate” predictor of empathic accuracy appears to be verbal intelligence, but it remains to be seen whether it and two other recently proposed predictors of interpersonal accuracy will survive the test of replicability.