Brent A. Mattingly

The Gray Area: Exploring Attitudes Toward Infidelity and the Development of the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale

ABSTRACT Prior research has distinguished between emotional versus sexual infidelity. Two studies examined the development of the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale (PDIS) to assess attitudes toward specific behaviors that constitute these types of infidelity in romantic relationships. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated three factors to the scale: Ambiguous, Deceptive, and Explicit behaviors. In both studies, there were gender differences on ratings of the behaviors. The construct validity of the scale was assessed with measures of sociosexual orientation, guilt, and coping with unwanted sexual situations. It was found that the Ambiguous behaviors were positively correlated with avoidance of unwanted sexual situations, while the Deceptive and Explicit scales were positively correlated with guilt and avoidance and negatively associated with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation and acting on attractions toward friends.

Foggy Faithfulness: Relationship Quality, Religiosity, and the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale in an Adult Sample

The goals of the current study were to (a) replicate the factor structure of the Perceptions of Dating Infidelity Scale (PDIS) with a sample of older adults, (b) examine whether religiosity and relational variables (e.g., satisfaction, commitment) were correlates of perceptions of infidelity, and (c) examine unique predictors of ratings of infidelity. As expected, three factors emerged from the PDIS: Ambiguous, Deceptive, and Explicit Behaviors. Satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and religiosity were correlated with ratings on the Ambiguous Behaviors factor. Furthermore, ratings on the Ambiguous Behaviors factor were uniquely predicted by satisfaction and religiosity.

The power of one: benefits of individual self-expansion

The self-expansion model suggests that the acquisition of new identities, capabilities, perspectives, and resources primarily occurs in the context of romantic relationships and that self-expanding activities have numerous benefits for relationships. However, self-expansion can theoretically occur outside of a relational context, yet little is known about the benefits of self-expanding activities for individuals. Across six experimental studies, we examined: (1) whether nonrelational novel, exciting, and interesting activities produce self-expansion and (2) whether engaging in nonrelational self-expanding activities results in greater exerted effort. In Studies 1 and 2, individuals who engaged in novel, exciting, and interesting activities experienced greater self-expansion than those who engaged in control activities. In Studies 3–6, individuals who engaged in high self-expanding activities exerted more effort on cognitive and physical tasks than those who engaged in low self-expanding activities, and this effect was not due to depleted self-regulatory resources, altered mood, or changes in self-esteem (Studies 5 and 6).

Sociosexual Orientation, Commitment, and Infidelity: A Mediation Analysis

ABSTRACT Individuals with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation (SO) are less committed to their romantic relationships and more likely to engage in infidelity. Furthermore, commitment is negatively associated with tendencies to cheat. However, no previous research has examined the possible mediating role of commitment in the relationship between SO and infidelity. The current study examined whether commitment mediated the relationship between SO and willingness to engage in three types of cheating behaviors (Ambiguous, Deceptive, and Explicit). Results suggested that commitment partially mediated the relationship between SO and infidelity, such that unrestricted individuals had lower commitment, which in turn led to a greater likelihood of cheating. Implications of this association and directions for future research are discussed.

An Expanded Self is a More Capable Self: The Association between Self-concept Size and Self-efficacy

The self-expansion model states that an expanded self-concept is associated with an increased sense of self-efficacy. We conducted four studies (three correlational, one experimental) to test this central tenet of the self-expansion model in a non-relational context. Results indicate that self-concept size (Studies 1 and 2) and subjective sense of self-concept (Study 3) were positively associated with greater self-efficacy. In Study 4, individuals who were randomly assigned to physically expand a representation of their self-concept reported greater self-efficacy at resolving potential problems than those who contracted a self-representation or left it unchanged. Taken together, these four studies provide the first empirical evidence that expanded self-concepts lead to greater self-efficacy.

Workplace Self-Expansion: Implications for Job Satisfaction, Commitment, Self-Concept Clarity, and Self-Esteem Among the Employed and Unemployed

Similar to how individuals in close relationships incorporate aspects of their partner into their self-concept, we suggest that jobs promote self-expansion when they lead people to develop skills and assume new identities. In Study 1, we sampled currently employed individuals, and results show that self-expansion predicts job satisfaction and commitment, even when controlling for salary, tenure, and demographic variables. In Study 2, we examined the impact of losing a self-expanding job by sampling currently unemployed individuals, and results show that losing a self-expanding job results in lower amounts of self-concept clarity and self-esteem.

Expanding the Self Brick by Brick Nonrelational Self-Expansion and Self-Concept Size

We conducted three studies to examine whether novel and interesting experiences can expand individuals’ self-concepts. In Studies 1 and 2, participants completed measures of experienced self-expansion and self-concept size. Results indicated that participants who had more novel and interesting experiences tended to have larger self-concepts. In Study 3, we employed an embodied cognition manipulation of self-expansion and again measured self-concept size. Results indicated that participants who pulled (vs. pointed to) objects labeled with novel and interesting (vs. nonnovel and uninteresting) activities toward themselves reported larger self-concepts. Additionally, those who pulled novel and interesting (vs. nonnovel and uninteresting) activities reported a larger self-concept. These studies provide the first empirical evidence that nonrelational novel and interesting experiences result in self-concept growth.

Under Pressure: The Effects of Stress on Positive and Negative Relationship Behaviors

This study investigates the effects of acute stress on positive and negative relationship behaviors, specifically assurances and attention to alternatives. A sample of 129 college students were randomly assigned to either a high or low stress condition, then were led to believe they had the opportunity to interact with attractive potential relationship partners and list compliments about their current partner. Results indicated that those in the high stress condition gave their partner fewer assurances and paid more attention to alternatives. These results suggest that when individuals experience acute stress, they may engage in fewer positive relationship behaviors and more behaviors that are potentially harmful to their relationship.

Can We Be (and Stay) Friends? Remaining Friends After Dissolution of a Romantic Relationship

ABSTRACT Although many individuals report being friends with their ex-romantic partners (Wilmot, Carbaugh, & Baxter, 1985), the literature regarding post-romantic friendships is very limited. We investigated whether satisfaction in the dissolved romantic relationship could predict post-romantic friendships and friendship maintenance. We found that the more satisfied individuals were during the dissolved romance, the more likely they were to remain friends and the more likely they were to engage in friendship maintenance behaviors. We also found that friendship maintenance fully mediated the association between past romantic satisfaction and current friendship satisfaction.

When “we” changes “me” The two-dimensional model of relational self-change and relationship outcomes

Individuals in close relationships may perceive changes to their self-concepts as a result of being with their partners. According to the two-dimensional model of relational self-change, these changes occur across two dimensions, namely direction, which reflects whether the self-concept has gained or lost content, and valence, which reflects whether the self-concept content is positive or negative. These two dimensions combine to create four distinct self-change processes, whereby individuals gain positive traits (self-expansion), gain negative traits (self-adulteration), lose positive traits (self-contraction), and lose negative traits (self-pruning). Study 1 used a longitudinal design and revealed that changes in each of the four self-processes were associated with subsequent relationship satisfaction and commitment. To further investigate the association of self-change with relationship quality, Study 2 found that processes associated with self-concept improvement (i.e., self-expansion and self-pruning) were positively associated with relationship maintenance behaviors and motivations (e.g., accommodation, forgiveness, and willingness to sacrifice), whereas processes associated with self-concept degradation (i.e., self-contraction and self-adulteration) were negatively associated with these outcomes and positively associated with behaviors that may harm the relationship (e.g., dissolution considerations, attention to alternatives, and seeking revenge).