Linda K. Acitelli

Accuracy and bias in the perception of the partner in a close relationship.

Partners in close relationships can be both accurate and biased in their perceptions of each other. Moreover, sometimes a bias can lead to accuracy. The authors describe a paradigm for the simultaneous measurement of accuracy and bias in 2-person relationships. One prevalent bias in close relationships is assumed similarity: Does the person think that his or her partner sees the world as he or she does? In a study of 238 dating and married heterosexual couples, the authors found evidence for both bias and accuracy: the bias effects were considerably stronger, especially when the measure was linked to the relationship. They found little or no evidence for gender differences in accuracy and bias.

Work-to-relationship conflict: crossover effects in dual-earner couples.

To better understand the outcomes for couples whose work interferes with their relationships, with an emphasis on the crossover effects that can occur in close relationships, we examined experienced work-to-relationship conflict and perceptions of partners work-to-relationship conflict for both members of 113 dual-earner couples. Outcomes of interests included relationship tension, health symptoms, and relationship satisfaction. Results indicate that personal work-to-relationship conflict and perceptions of partners work-to-family conflict were related to personal as well as partner outcomes; a variety of direct crossover effects were demonstrated. The actor-partner interdependence model was incorporated to account for issues of interdependent data that naturally occur in relationship dyads, a methodological issue not typically addressed and accounted for in the dyadic work-family interface literature.

Measuring similarity in couples

The relationship between partner similarity and marital quality variables was explored by the use of a new method for the analysis of data from marital pairs. Forty-two married couples were given the Personal Assessment of Intimate Relationships inventory (M. T. Schaefer & D. H. Olson, 1981), and a method was devised for the removal of stereotype effects, that is, the tendency for partners to be similar to one another because they respond in a way that is typical of others. Similarity between wives and husbands decreased when adjusted for stereotype effects. There were no statistically significant relationships between couple similarity and measures of marital quality, with or without the adjustment for stereotype effects. However, there was evidence for both husbands and wives of an association between responding as typical husbands did and perceptions of satisfaction in the marital relationship. This result indicates that a stereotype effect may be a meaningful phenomenon rather than just a statistical artifact

The Role of Identity in the Link between Relationship Thinking and Relationship Satisfaction

The link between a partners thinking about the relationship and relationship satisfaction has been shown to be stronger for women than men. The main goal of this study was to examine the extent to which ones identity (rather than biological sex) moderates that link. In a survey of 238 couples (90 unmarried and 148 married), results indicated that, for unmarried couples, a general relational identity, or the tendency to see oneself in relation to others in general, moderated the association between positive relationship thinking and satisfaction. For married couples, a couple identity, or the tendency to see oneself as part of the specific relationship, moderated this association. These results were generally the same for both men and women, indicating that ones identity may be more important than biological sex in determining concurrent associations between relationship thinking and relationship satisfaction. However, longitudinal findings suggest that long-term outcomes of positive relationship thinking may be stronger for women than men. Results are discussed in terms of the development and importance of a specific couple identity in committed relationships.

The Neglected Links between Marital Support and Marital Satisfaction

There is an assumption, largely unexamined, that spouses’ assessments of marital satisfaction often involve considerations of social support from their partners (Fincham & Bradbury, 1990). If this assumption is true, then spouses’ perceptions of social support available from their partners should be related to their marital satisfaction. Surprisingly, there have been very few studies that test this prediction. Thus, as the title of this chapter suggests, the link between marital support and satisfaction has been neglected. Furthermore, marital status is sometimes used as an index of social support without assessing the extent to which the partners in the relationship perceive the marriage to be supportive (for discussions of the pitfalls of this practice see Coyne & De Longis, 1986; Fincham & Bradbury, 1990; Leatham & Duck, 1990). The literature on marriage has “virtually ignored the role of the support that spouses get from and give to each other in determining marital outcomes” (Julien & Markman, 1991, p. 549). The social support literature has also virtually ignored the link between social support and marital outcomes (McGonagle, Kessler, & Schilling, 1992). Thus, two areas of research (marriage and social support) that have become natural topics for the study of close relationships have hardly begun to tap their potential to inform one another (Acitelli & Antonucci, 1994).

Does couple identity mediate the stress experienced by caregiving spouses

For caregivers, the stress process is multifaceted, involving primary stressors, which stem directly from the needs of the patient, and secondary stressors, which relate to the subjective burden of caregiving. According to stress proliferation theories, both primary and secondary stressors can exacerbate caregiver distress. However, individuals vary considerably in their reactions to caregiving. This study explored whether seeing oneself as part of a couple and incorporating ones relationship into ones self-concept (couple identity) alleviates the negative effects of primary and secondary stressors on caregiver mental health. The sample comprised 92 healthy spouses who had been caregiving for a partner with a chronic physical illness for an average of 5.9 years. Results showed that couple identity partially mediated the effects of negative primary (i.e., relational deprivation and overload) and secondary (i.e., loss of self and captivity) role stressors, and fully mediated the effects of positive secondary role stressors (i.e., caregiver self-esteem and competence) on caregiver mental health. Viewing the relationship as an extension of oneself, or high levels of couple identity, may thus help to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive effects of the caregiving experience on caregiver mental health.

Dyadic adjustment in chronic illness: does relationship talk matter?

Relationship talk involves talking about the nature and state of ones relationship. To determine the effectiveness of talking about the relationship when one spouse has a chronic illness, the study involved completion of a confidential questionnaire by 182 married couples. Ninety of these were couples in which both partners were healthy, and 92 were couples in which one spouse had a chronic illness. Results of multilevel modeling analyses showed that the association between relationship talk and dyadic adjustment was stronger for women than for men and for couples with an ill spouse than for couples where both spouses were healthy. These findings highlight the importance of taking a relationship perspective and suggest that relationship talk is a potentially useful tool couples can use in their repertoire of relationship-enhancing behaviors during chronic illness.

When Friends Make You Blue: The Role of Friendship Contingent Self-Esteem in Predicting Self-Esteem and Depressive Symptoms:

This research examines the role of friendship contingent self-esteem (FCSE), or self-esteem that is dependent on the quality of one’s friendships, in predicting depressive symptoms. In Study 1, the authors developed a measure of FCSE. Both FCSE and others’ approval correlated with self-esteem and depressive symptoms, but when entered simultaneously in a regression equation, only FCSE significantly predicted self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Study 2 showed that dependency and close friendship competence predicted depressive symptoms only for those high in FCSE. In Study 3, a diary study, FCSE predicted self-esteem instability. Self-esteem instability, in turn, predicted depressive symptoms. Furthermore, a three-way interaction of rumination, FCSE, and the valence of the event predicted momentary self-esteem. Findings are discussed with regard to the importance of considering FCSE when investigating interpersonal risk for depression.

Sampling Couples to Understand them: Mixing the Theoretical with the Practical:

The project described here is one of the first to obtain a probability sample of couples based on characteristics of both partners. The undertaking is presented as a mix of theoretical and practical concerns. First, I present the theoretical background justifying the need for such a sample and outline the methods of the longitudinal study of couples. Then the steps taken to recruit the sample (238 couples) are traced, including the process of screening for eligible respondents. Several un-foreseeable problems occurred that required more time, and thus more money, than were originally budgeted. This paper exposes these difficulties in a straightforward manner not often seen in journal articles that typically cover up or smooth out all blemishes. I also offer suggestions for ways to diminish the effects of such problems. The hope is that other researchers who wish to follow a similar path will find this paper helps make their journeys smoother than the one described here.

The Role of Attachment Style and Relationship Status of the Perceiver in the Perceptions of Romantic Partner

Intimate relationships can influence interpersonal perception because they are characterized by emotional involvement and close attachment between the members of the dyad; thus, attachment theory and research may shed light on interpersonal perception within intimate relationships. In this study, a probability sample of 179 men and 198 women who were married or involved in a committed dating relationship, was examined to test the hypothesis that attachment style and degree of public commitment to the relationship (i.e. marital status) would predict perceptions of partners. Secure individuals had positive appraisals of their partner regardless of marital status, suggesting that secure individuals do not need concrete indicators of commitment to feel positively towards their partners. For insecure attachment styles, perception of partner was associated with the degree of public commitment as well as sex and attachment style of the perceiver. These findings highlight the need for more studies recognizing how differences in sex and marital status affect the association between attachment styles and perceptions of partners.