Nathaniel M Lambert
Biographic Data
| ID | 3827366 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nathaniel M Lambert |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nathaniel M |
| FAMILY NAME | Lambert |
| SIGNATURE | LAMBERT N M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Florida State University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 228 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 40 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Prayer in Muslim families: A qualitative exploration
This qualitative study seeks to examine one major aspect (or “pillar”) of Islam, prayer (salat). Prayer is a widely practiced religious act; however, a dearth of social science research exists on prayer in relation to Muslim couples and families. The influence of prayer among Muslim couples, marriages, and family life is explored to better inform social work practice in working with American Muslim families. Specifically, we address: (a) prayer d…
Remaining in a situationally aggressive relationship: The role of relationship self‐efficacy
Relationship self‐efficacy ( RSE ) is the belief that one can resolve relationship conflicts, and it may lead victims of situational violence to remain in their relationships because they expect to minimize subsequent violence. Indeed, a longitudinal study of two samples of college students demonstrated that RSE moderates the effects of victimization on relationship dissolution; intimate partner violence ( IPV ) victimization was positively assoc…
Power and the pursuit of a partner’s goals
We investigated how power dynamics in close relationships influence the tendency to devote resources to the pursuit of goals valued by relationship partners, hypothesizing that low (vs. high) power in relationships would lead individuals to center their individual goal pursuit around the goals of their partners. We study 2 related phenomena: partner goal prioritization, whereby individuals pursue goals on behalf of their partners, and partner goa…
The Power of Prayer in Transforming Individuals and Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Examination of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Families
Prayer is a widely practiced religious behavior. Research has associated prayer with various physical, psychological, and relational benefits. This study used in-depth, interview-based qualitative methods to explore how prayer may foster improvement in married individuals as well as in couples' relationships in a richly diverse sample of 184 religious couples (N = 368 individuals). Qualitative data analyses revealed the following related themes: …
Trading Later Rewards for Current Pleasure: Pornography Consumption and Delay Discounting
Internet pornography is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has grown increasingly accessible. Delay discounting involves devaluing larger, later rewards in favor of smaller, more immediate rewards. The constant novelty and primacy of sexual stimuli as particularly strong natural rewards make Internet pornography a unique activator of the brain's reward system, thereby having implications for decision-making processes. Based on theoretical studi…
"I'm so excited for you!" How an enthusiastic responding intervention enhances close relationships
The positive impact of active-constructive responding (i.e., showing enthusiasm) to the sharing of good news (i.e., capitalization attempts) on relationship well-being is well documented. The objective of this research was to determine whether individuals in a close relationship benefit from training to increase active-constructive responding to partner capitalization attempts and to document its impact on relationship well-being. Compared with a…
Thin slices of infidelity: Determining whether observers can pick out cheaters from a video clip interaction and what tips them off
The viability of using brief observations of behavior (thin slicing) to identify infidelity in romantic relationships was examined. Two studies supported the hypothesis that observers can accuratelsy identify people who are cheating on their romantic dating partner based on thin slices of observed behavior. In Study 1, raters were able to accurately identify people who were cheating on their romantic dating partner after viewing a short 3‐ to 4‐m…
Explaining the relationship between religiousness and substance use: Self-control matters
Religiousness is reliably associated with lower substance use, but little research has examined whether self-control helps explain why religiousness predicts lower substance use. Building on prior theoretical work, our studies suggest that self-control mediates the relationship between religiousness and a variety of substance-use behaviors. Study 1 showed that daily prayer predicted lower alcohol use on subsequent days. In Study 2, religiousness …
To Belong Is to Matter: Sense of Belonging Enhances Meaning in Life
In four methodologically diverse studies ( N = 644), we found correlational (Study 1), longitudinal (Study 2), and experimental (Studies 3 and 4) evidence that a sense of belonging predicts how meaningful life is perceived to be. In Study 1 ( n = 126), we found a strong positive correlation between sense of belonging and meaningfulness. In Study 2 ( n = 248), we found that initial levels of sense of belonging predicted perceived meaningfulness of…
Pornography, Relationship Alternatives, and Intimate Extradyadic Behavior
Two studies tested the hypothesis that exposure to pornography among romantically committed individuals would increase the likelihood of intimate extradyadic behavior and that this effect would be mediated by heightened perceptions of romantic alternatives. Study 1 ( n = 74) found that participants primed with sexually explicit material reported having higher quality romantic alternatives. Study 2 ( n = 291) showed that initial pornography consum…
How Do Relationship Maintenance Behaviors Affect Individual Well-Being: A Contextual Perspective
How do relationship maintenance behaviors affect individual well-being? Given that people who invest time and effort toward achieving important goals see their outcomes as more reflective of their skills and abilities than do people who invest less time and effort, engaging in relationship maintenance behaviors may lead people to experience increased individual well-being when those behaviors appear to be successful but decreased well-being when …
Curiosity Protects Against Interpersonal Aggression: Cross‐Sectional, Daily Process, and Behavioral Evidence
OBJECTIVE: Curiosity is the propensity to recognize and seek out new information and experience, including an intrinsic interest in learning and developing one's knowledge. With few exceptions, researchers have often ignored the social consequences of being curious. METHOD: In four studies using cross-sectional (N = 64), daily diary (Ns = 150 and 110, respectively), and behavioral experimental (N= 132) designs, we tested the hypothesis that indiv…
Shifting toward cooperative tendencies and forgiveness: How partner‐focused prayer transforms motivation
Several studies tested whether partner‐focused prayer shifts individuals toward cooperative tendencies and forgiveness. In Studies 1 and 2, participants who prayed more frequently for their partner were rated by objective coders as less vengeful. Study 3 showed that, compared to partners of targets in the positive partner thought condition, the romantic partners of targets assigned to pray reported a positive change in their partner's forgiveness…
The voodoo doll task: Introducing and validating a novel method for studying aggressive inclinations
Aggression pervades modern life. To understand the root causes of aggression, researchers have developed several methods to assess aggressive inclinations. The current article introduces a new behavioral method-the voodoo doll task (VDT)-that offers a reliable and valid trait and state measure of aggressive inclinations across settings and relationship contexts. Drawing on theory and research on the law of similarity and magical beliefs (Rozin, M…
A boost of positive affect: The perks of sharing positive experiences
In a series of five studies we examined the relationship between sharing positive experiences and positive affect using a diary method (Study 1) and laboratory manipulations (Studies 2 and 3). All of these studies demonstrated that sharing the positive experience heightened its impact on positive affect. In Study 4, we conducted a four-week journal study in which the experimental participants kept a journal of grateful experiences and shared them…
A Love That Doesn't Last: Pornography Consumption and Weakened Commitment to One's Romantic Partner
We examined whether the consumption of pornography affects romantic relationships, with the expectation that higher levels of pornography consumption would correspond to weakened commitment in young adult romantic relationships. Study 1 (n = 367) found that higher pornography consumption was related to lower commitment, and Study 2 (n = 34) replicated this finding using observational data. Study 3 (n = 20) participants were randomly assigned to e…
Gratitude and depressive symptoms: The role of positive reframing and positive emotion
Eight studies (N=2,973) tested the theory that gratitude is related to fewer depressive symptoms through positive reframing and positive emotion. Study 1 found a direct path between gratitude and depressive symptoms. Studies 2-5 demonstrated that positive reframing mediated the relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms. Studies 6-7 showed that positive emotion mediated the relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms. Study…
A Grateful Heart is a Nonviolent Heart: Cross-Sectional, Experience Sampling, Longitudinal, and Experimental Evidence
Five studies tested the hypothesis that gratitude is linked to lower levels of aggression. Although gratitude increases mental well-being, it is unknown whether gratitude mitigates against aggression. Gratitude motivates people to express sensitivity and concern for others and stimulates prosocial behavior. Aggression, defined as intentionally harming another person who is motivated to avoid the harm, runs counter to the motivation to increase ot…
Praying together and staying together: Couple prayer and trust
Three studies examine the relationship between prayer, unity, and trust. Study 1 (N 29) showed that praying for one’s partner predicted objective ratings of trust. Study 2 (N 210) found a significant relationship between prayer with a partner and relation-ship trust. This relationship was mediated by couple unity. Study 3 (N 80) investi-gated the relationship documented in a 4-week, experimental study. Participants either prayed with and for thei…
The virtue of problem‐solving: Perceived partner virtues as predictors of problem‐solving efficacy
Three studies involving dating relationships and friendships tested the hypothesis that higher perceived partner virtues (or personal strengths enacted in the context of relationships) are related to greater relationship problem‐solving efficacy. Studies 1 and 2 showed that higher perceived partner virtues were related to more relationship problem‐solving efficacy concurrently and longitudinally. Study 3 showed that perceiving one's partner as mo…
The material and immaterial in conflict: Spirituality reduces conspicuous consumption
Act with authority: Romantic desire at the nexus of power possessed and power perceived
Repulsed by violence: Disgust sensitivity buffers trait, behavioral, and daily aggression
Many models of aggression include negatively valenced emotions as common elicitors of aggressive behavior. Yet, the motivational direction of these emotions is not taken into account. The current work explored whether sensitivity to a negative emotion associated with behavioral avoidance-disgust-will predict lower levels of aggression. Five studies tested the hypothesis that disgust sensitivity predicts less aggression. In Study 1 (N = 92), disgu…
Putting the brakes on aggression toward a romantic partner: The inhibitory influence of relationship commitment
Why do people behave aggressively toward romantic partners, and what can put the brakes on this aggression? Provocation robustly predicts aggression in both intimate and nonintimate relationships. Four methodologically diverse studies tested the hypothesis that provocation severity and relationship commitment interact to predict aggression toward one's romantic partner, with the aggression-promoting effects of provocation diminishing as relations…
Prayer and satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships
Three studies document the effect of prayer on satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships. Study 1 ( n = 771) demonstrated that prayer for partner predicted later satisfaction with sacrifice. In Study 2 couples discussed a disagreement and then prayed or engaged in a control activity. Praying increased satisfaction with sacrifice, couple identity and emergent goals, both of which mediated the relationship between prayer for partner and sa…
Alone and without purpose: Life loses meaning following social exclusion
A boost of positive affect: The perks of sharing positive experiences
In a series of five studies we examined the relationship between sharing positive experiences and positive affect using a diary method (Study 1) and laboratory manipulations (Studies 2 and 3). All of these studies demonstrated that sharing the positive experience heightened its impact on positive affect. In Study 4, we conducted a four-week journal study in which the experimental participants kept a journal of grateful experiences and shared them…
So far away from one's partner, yet so close to romantic alternatives: Avoidant attachment, interest in alternatives, and infidelity
Temptation pervades modern social life, including the temptation to engage in infidelity. The present investigation examines one factor that may put individuals at a greater risk of being unfaithful to their partner: dispositional avoidant attachment style. The authors hypothesize that avoidantly attached people may be less resistant to temptations for infidelity due to lower levels of commitment in romantic relationships. This hypothesis was con…
The voodoo doll task: Introducing and validating a novel method for studying aggressive inclinations
Aggression pervades modern life. To understand the root causes of aggression, researchers have developed several methods to assess aggressive inclinations. The current article introduces a new behavioral method-the voodoo doll task (VDT)-that offers a reliable and valid trait and state measure of aggressive inclinations across settings and relationship contexts. Drawing on theory and research on the law of similarity and magical beliefs (Rozin, M…
The Threefold Cord: Marital Commitment in Religious Couples
This study reports results from in-depth interviews with 57 highly religious middle-aged married couples representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and residing in New England and Northern California. The study uses grounded theory methods to create themes that describe the ways that religiosity influences marital commitment. Couples reported that religious beliefs and practices helped them include God as the third par…
Faith and unfaithfulness: Can praying for your partner reduce infidelity
Because religion and/or spirituality is integral to the lives of a majority of the world population, we conducted 3 studies on the role of prayer in romantic relationships. Study 1 (N = 375) showed that prayer for the partner predicted lower levels of extradyadic romantic behavior over a 6-week period, over and beyond relationship satisfaction, and initial levels of extradyadic romantic behavior. In Study 2 (N = 83), we used an experimental desig…
Putting the brakes on aggression toward a romantic partner: The inhibitory influence of relationship commitment
Why do people behave aggressively toward romantic partners, and what can put the brakes on this aggression? Provocation robustly predicts aggression in both intimate and nonintimate relationships. Four methodologically diverse studies tested the hypothesis that provocation severity and relationship commitment interact to predict aggression toward one's romantic partner, with the aggression-promoting effects of provocation diminishing as relations…
Repulsed by violence: Disgust sensitivity buffers trait, behavioral, and daily aggression
Many models of aggression include negatively valenced emotions as common elicitors of aggressive behavior. Yet, the motivational direction of these emotions is not taken into account. The current work explored whether sensitivity to a negative emotion associated with behavioral avoidance-disgust-will predict lower levels of aggression. Five studies tested the hypothesis that disgust sensitivity predicts less aggression. In Study 1 (N = 92), disgu…
Development of the Faith Activities in the Home Scale (FAITHS)
This article reports the development of the Faith Activities In The Home Scale (FAITHS). The initial FAITHS measure was improved on and expanded by using qualitative data of two separate samples and then empirically tested on three separate samples. Study 1 comprised two samples totaling 57 highly religious families from New England and California that represented the three major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) and focused on …
"I'm so excited for you!" How an enthusiastic responding intervention enhances close relationships
The positive impact of active-constructive responding (i.e., showing enthusiasm) to the sharing of good news (i.e., capitalization attempts) on relationship well-being is well documented. The objective of this research was to determine whether individuals in a close relationship benefit from training to increase active-constructive responding to partner capitalization attempts and to document its impact on relationship well-being. Compared with a…
Explaining the relationship between religiousness and substance use: Self-control matters
Religiousness is reliably associated with lower substance use, but little research has examined whether self-control helps explain why religiousness predicts lower substance use. Building on prior theoretical work, our studies suggest that self-control mediates the relationship between religiousness and a variety of substance-use behaviors. Study 1 showed that daily prayer predicted lower alcohol use on subsequent days. In Study 2, religiousness …
Power and the pursuit of a partner’s goals
We investigated how power dynamics in close relationships influence the tendency to devote resources to the pursuit of goals valued by relationship partners, hypothesizing that low (vs. high) power in relationships would lead individuals to center their individual goal pursuit around the goals of their partners. We study 2 related phenomena: partner goal prioritization, whereby individuals pursue goals on behalf of their partners, and partner goa…
Trading Later Rewards for Current Pleasure: Pornography Consumption and Delay Discounting
Internet pornography is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has grown increasingly accessible. Delay discounting involves devaluing larger, later rewards in favor of smaller, more immediate rewards. The constant novelty and primacy of sexual stimuli as particularly strong natural rewards make Internet pornography a unique activator of the brain's reward system, thereby having implications for decision-making processes. Based on theoretical studi…
The material and immaterial in conflict: Spirituality reduces conspicuous consumption
The Power of Prayer in Transforming Individuals and Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Examination of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Families
Prayer is a widely practiced religious behavior. Research has associated prayer with various physical, psychological, and relational benefits. This study used in-depth, interview-based qualitative methods to explore how prayer may foster improvement in married individuals as well as in couples' relationships in a richly diverse sample of 184 religious couples (N = 368 individuals). Qualitative data analyses revealed the following related themes: …
Act with authority: Romantic desire at the nexus of power possessed and power perceived
Prayer and satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships
Three studies document the effect of prayer on satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships. Study 1 ( n = 771) demonstrated that prayer for partner predicted later satisfaction with sacrifice. In Study 2 couples discussed a disagreement and then prayed or engaged in a control activity. Praying increased satisfaction with sacrifice, couple identity and emergent goals, both of which mediated the relationship between prayer for partner and sa…
How Religiosity Helps Couples Prevent, Resolve, and Overcome Marital Conflict
This study reports on in‐depth interviews with 57 highly religious, middle‐aged married couples representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) residing in New England and Northern California. The study uses grounded theory methods to create themes and a model describing the ways that religiosity influences marital conflict. Couples reported that religiosity affects the conflict in their marriage at three phases of the conf…
The Threefold Cord: Marital Commitment in Religious Couples
This study reports results from in-depth interviews with 57 highly religious middle-aged married couples representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and residing in New England and Northern California. The study uses grounded theory methods to create themes that describe the ways that religiosity influences marital commitment. Couples reported that religious beliefs and practices helped them include God as the third par…
A Prototype Analysis of Gratitude: Varieties of Gratitude Experiences
The present research tested the hypothesis that concepts of gratitude are prototypically organized and explored whether lay concepts of gratitude are broader than researchers' concepts of gratitude. In five studies, evidence was found that concepts of gratitude are indeed prototypically organized. In Study 1, participants listed features of gratitude. In Study 2, participants reliably rated the centrality of these features. In Studies 3a and 3b, …
Can prayer increase gratitude
The objective of these studies was to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between prayer and gratitude. In Study 1 (n 674), the authors replicated the cross-sectional association between prayer frequency and gratitude that has been demonstrated in previous research. In Study 2 (n 780), prayer frequency predicted gratitude 6 weeks later even when controlling for initial gratitude and religiosity. In Study 3 (n 832), the author…
Alone and without purpose: Life loses meaning following social exclusion
Family as a salient source of meaning in young adulthood
Five studies demonstrated the role of family relationships as an important source of perceived meaning in life. In Study 1 (n = 50), 68% participants reported that their families were the single most significant contributor to personal meaning. Study 2 (n = 231) participants ranked family above 12 likely sources of meaning. Studies 3 (n = 87) and 4 (n = 130) demonstrated that participants’ reports of their closeness to family (Study 3) and suppor…
Benefits of Expressing Gratitude: Expressing Gratitude to a Partner Changes One’s View of the Relationship
This research was conducted to examine the hypothesis that expressing gratitude to a relationship partner enhances one’s perception of the relationship’s communal strength. In Study 1 ( N = 137), a cross-sectional survey, expressing gratitude to a relationship partner was positively associated with the expresser’s perception of the communal strength of the relationship. In Study 2 ( N = 218), expressing gratitude predicted increases in the expres…
Personal Philosophy and Personnel Achievement: Belief in Free Will Predicts Better Job Performance
Do philosophic views affect job performance? The authors found that possessing a belief in free will predicted better career attitudes and actual job performance. The effect of free will beliefs on job performance indicators were over and above well-established predictors such as conscientiousness, locus of control, and Protestant work ethic. In Study 1, stronger belief in free will corresponded to more positive attitudes about expected career su…
Faith and unfaithfulness: Can praying for your partner reduce infidelity
Because religion and/or spirituality is integral to the lives of a majority of the world population, we conducted 3 studies on the role of prayer in romantic relationships. Study 1 (N = 375) showed that prayer for the partner predicted lower levels of extradyadic romantic behavior over a 6-week period, over and beyond relationship satisfaction, and initial levels of extradyadic romantic behavior. In Study 2 (N = 83), we used an experimental desig…
Development of the Faith Activities in the Home Scale (FAITHS)
This article reports the development of the Faith Activities In The Home Scale (FAITHS). The initial FAITHS measure was improved on and expanded by using qualitative data of two separate samples and then empirically tested on three separate samples. Study 1 comprised two samples totaling 57 highly religious families from New England and California that represented the three major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) and focused on …
Meaning as Magnetic Force: Evidence That Meaning in Life Promotes Interpersonal Appeal
The authors report on data indicating that having a strong sense of meaning in life makes people more appealing social interactants. In Study 1, participants were videotaped while conversing with a friend, and the interactions were subsequently rated by independent evaluators. Participants who had reported a strong sense of meaning in life were rated as desirable friends. In Study 2, participants made 10-s videotaped introductions of themselves t…
Understanding the layperson's perception of prayer: A prototype analysis of prayer
The objective of the current studies was to utilize prototype analysis to foster a better understanding of lay concepts of prayer. In four studies, we found evidence that concepts of prayer are indeed prototypically organized. In Study 1, participants listed features of prayer. In Study 2, participants reliably rated the centrality of these features. In Study 3, participants perceived behaviors described in a scenario as better characterizing pra…
Expressing gratitude to a partner leads to more relationship maintenance behavior
We proposed that expressing gratitude would increase positive perception of a relationship partner, thereby increasing comfort in expressing relationship concerns, which is a form of relationship maintenance. Study 1 (n = 159) showed a relationship between naturally occurring expressions of gratitude and comfort in voicing relationship concerns. Study 2 (n = 178) provided longitudinal evidence for direction of effects because Time 1 gratitude exp…
Emotion differentiation moderates aggressive tendencies in angry people: A daily diary analysis
Anger is commonly associated with aggression. Inefficient anger-coping strategies increase negative affect and deplete the regulatory resources needed to control aggressive impulses. Factors linked with better emotion regulation may then weaken the relationship between anger and aggression. The current work explored one factor associated with emotion regulation-differentiating one's emotions into discrete categories-that may buffer angry people f…
So far away from one's partner, yet so close to romantic alternatives: Avoidant attachment, interest in alternatives, and infidelity
Temptation pervades modern social life, including the temptation to engage in infidelity. The present investigation examines one factor that may put individuals at a greater risk of being unfaithful to their partner: dispositional avoidant attachment style. The authors hypothesize that avoidantly attached people may be less resistant to temptations for infidelity due to lower levels of commitment in romantic relationships. This hypothesis was con…
A Love That Doesn't Last: Pornography Consumption and Weakened Commitment to One's Romantic Partner
We examined whether the consumption of pornography affects romantic relationships, with the expectation that higher levels of pornography consumption would correspond to weakened commitment in young adult romantic relationships. Study 1 (n = 367) found that higher pornography consumption was related to lower commitment, and Study 2 (n = 34) replicated this finding using observational data. Study 3 (n = 20) participants were randomly assigned to e…
Gratitude and depressive symptoms: The role of positive reframing and positive emotion
Eight studies (N=2,973) tested the theory that gratitude is related to fewer depressive symptoms through positive reframing and positive emotion. Study 1 found a direct path between gratitude and depressive symptoms. Studies 2-5 demonstrated that positive reframing mediated the relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms. Studies 6-7 showed that positive emotion mediated the relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms. Study…
A Grateful Heart is a Nonviolent Heart: Cross-Sectional, Experience Sampling, Longitudinal, and Experimental Evidence
Five studies tested the hypothesis that gratitude is linked to lower levels of aggression. Although gratitude increases mental well-being, it is unknown whether gratitude mitigates against aggression. Gratitude motivates people to express sensitivity and concern for others and stimulates prosocial behavior. Aggression, defined as intentionally harming another person who is motivated to avoid the harm, runs counter to the motivation to increase ot…
Praying together and staying together: Couple prayer and trust
Three studies examine the relationship between prayer, unity, and trust. Study 1 (N 29) showed that praying for one’s partner predicted objective ratings of trust. Study 2 (N 210) found a significant relationship between prayer with a partner and relation-ship trust. This relationship was mediated by couple unity. Study 3 (N 80) investi-gated the relationship documented in a 4-week, experimental study. Participants either prayed with and for thei…
The virtue of problem‐solving: Perceived partner virtues as predictors of problem‐solving efficacy
Three studies involving dating relationships and friendships tested the hypothesis that higher perceived partner virtues (or personal strengths enacted in the context of relationships) are related to greater relationship problem‐solving efficacy. Studies 1 and 2 showed that higher perceived partner virtues were related to more relationship problem‐solving efficacy concurrently and longitudinally. Study 3 showed that perceiving one's partner as mo…
The material and immaterial in conflict: Spirituality reduces conspicuous consumption
Act with authority: Romantic desire at the nexus of power possessed and power perceived
Repulsed by violence: Disgust sensitivity buffers trait, behavioral, and daily aggression
Many models of aggression include negatively valenced emotions as common elicitors of aggressive behavior. Yet, the motivational direction of these emotions is not taken into account. The current work explored whether sensitivity to a negative emotion associated with behavioral avoidance-disgust-will predict lower levels of aggression. Five studies tested the hypothesis that disgust sensitivity predicts less aggression. In Study 1 (N = 92), disgu…
Putting the brakes on aggression toward a romantic partner: The inhibitory influence of relationship commitment
Why do people behave aggressively toward romantic partners, and what can put the brakes on this aggression? Provocation robustly predicts aggression in both intimate and nonintimate relationships. Four methodologically diverse studies tested the hypothesis that provocation severity and relationship commitment interact to predict aggression toward one's romantic partner, with the aggression-promoting effects of provocation diminishing as relations…
Prayer and satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships
Three studies document the effect of prayer on satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships. Study 1 ( n = 771) demonstrated that prayer for partner predicted later satisfaction with sacrifice. In Study 2 couples discussed a disagreement and then prayed or engaged in a control activity. Praying increased satisfaction with sacrifice, couple identity and emergent goals, both of which mediated the relationship between prayer for partner and sa…
Psychology (40 works) · Social Psychology (39 works) · Developmental psychology (19 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (14 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (13 works) · Marriage and Sexual Relationships (12 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction (10 works) · Theology (10 works) · Philosophy (9 works)