Nickola C Overall
Biographic Data
| ID | 760504 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nickola C Overall |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nickola C |
| FAMILY NAME | Overall |
| SIGNATURE | OVERALL N C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Auckland |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9703-4383 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 109 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 630 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 109 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 14 |
Intergenerational Links Between Parents’ and Children’s Hostile and Benevolent Sexism
Research has confirmed that adults’ hostile sexism and benevolent sexism harm adult women and men. Yet, men’s and women’s sexist attitudes also shape parenting behavior, and children agree with hostile and benevolent sexism at a young age. Our research connects these emerging insights to test the intergenerational links between parents’ and children’s sexism in 175 family triads: mothers, fathers, and their 8-year-old child (51% girls, 49% boys).…
Comparing Trait-Wise and Profile-Wise Approaches to Assess the Links Between Metaperceptions and Romantic Interest During Speed-Dating
Our perceptions of how we come across to others—metaperceptions—potentially shape whether romantic connections flourish or fade. The current study advanced the investigation of metaperceptions in relationship initiation in two ways: (a) by comparing two leading approaches to assessing meta-accuracy and meta-bias (the profile-wise social accuracy model and the trait-wise truth and bias model) and (b) by examining how metaperceptions of evaluative …
Bias in Perceptions of Power in Close Relationships: The Role of Self-Protection, Pro-Relationship, and Power Motives
People who perceive they lack power inhibit their needs and goals, sometimes aggress to restore power, and experience poorer well-being. However, people may underestimate how much power they have to meet their needs. Guided by error management principles, we tested whether people systematically underestimate their power in relationships. Across four samples of friendships, same-gender couples, and woman–man couples ( N = 1,304 dyads), we used Tru…
The Relational Nature of Attachment and Power: Attachment Avoidance and Withdrawal Limit Partners’ Power
Power emerges from the relational dynamics between two people, but it is often studied as a feature of the individual. The current studies apply a dyadic perspective to show that core relational beliefs not only shape actors’ relationship power but also generate behaviors that constrain their partner’s power. Across five studies with Israeli, German, and New Zealand couples (total 1,256 dyads), greater attachment avoidance and anxiety were associ…
Women Are Slightly More Sexually Satisfied in Their Romantic Relationships Than Men: An Integrative Data Analytic Approach
The Hidden Costs of Authority Transfer Relationships
A Meta‐Analysis of Antecedents and Outcomes of Flexible Working Arrangements
Flexible working arrangements (FWAs) are increasingly available and used across diverse settings, particularly following the COVID‐19 pandemic. Yet, knowledge of the antecedents and outcomes of FWAs is incomplete and inconclusive. It remains unclear what factors facilitate the perceived availability and use of FWAs, and under what conditions FWAs are most beneficial, including (1) whether flexibility in work schedule (flextime), work location (fl…
Actor Power and Perceived Partner Power Differentially Relate to Sexual Behavior and Motivations
Assertively pursuing sexual needs versus complying or accommodating to partner’s sexual desires has considerable implications. We apply and integrate general theories of power to identify how people’s own power (actor power) and perceptions of their partner’s power (perceived partner power) differentially relate to sexual behaviors and motivations in woman–man relationships. Across three studies (total N = 995), actors’ power predicted sexual app…
Intimate Partners’ Political Influence: Longitudinal Evidence for the Mutual Transmission of Party Support between Women and Men
Cross-sectional research demonstrates that intimate partners generally hold similar political preferences. It is unclear, however, whether intimate partners influence each other’s preferences over time. We address this oversight by investigating the transmission of political party support across 1,613 woman-man couples in long-term intimate relationships using 10 annual waves of longitudinal panel data. Actor-partner interdependence random interc…
Resistance or Cooperation? Actor and Partner Effects of Hostile and Benevolent Sexism on Observed Behavior in Couples’ Interactions
Hostile sexism evokes women’s resistance necessitating benevolent sexism to promote cross-gender cooperation. Addressing inconsistent, primarily self-report evidence for ambivalent sexism theory principles, we test the actor and partner effects of sexist attitudes on behaviors exhibited within heterosexual couples’ interactions ( N = 855 dyadic interactions). Showing that men’s hostile sexism likely incites resistance, men’s hostile sexism predic…
Thank You for Changing: Gratitude Promotes Autonomous Motivation and Successful Partner Regulation
Romantic partners often attempt to improve their relationship by changing each other’s traits and behaviors, but such partner regulation is often unsuccessful. We examined whether gratitude expressed by agents (i.e., partners requesting change) facilitates greater regulation success from targets (i.e., partners making change) by encouraging targets’ autonomous motivation. Across studies, including observational (Study 1, N = 111 couples), preregi…
Fathers’ and Mothers’ Sexism Predict Less Responsive Parenting Behavior During Family Interactions
Men’s hostile sexism predicts harmful behavior toward women. Yet, most investigations have relied on self-report assessments, and overlooked a critical, consequential behavioral outcome: responsive parenting. The current studies provide the first behavioral evidence of the associations between hostile sexism and parenting. Fathers higher in hostile sexism reported lower authoritative (warm, involved) and higher authoritarian (directive, controlli…
Emotion regulation and felt security in different-gender romantic relationship interactions: Two dyadic, observational studies
Statelike felt security can change during romantic relationship conflict when the attachment relationship is threatened. According to theorizing, this change should be associated with the romantic partners' emotion regulation. The current research leverages two observational studies involving romantic couples (conducted in 2017 and 2018-2019) to test this underexplored aspect of attachment theory. We hypothesized that higher observer-rated actor …
The use and consequences of expressive suppression in high-risk and low-risk relationship discussions
Expressive suppression, which involves hiding emotions, is a common emotion regulation behavior in relationships but interferes with perceived responsiveness and closeness. These relationship costs make it important to identify the contexts in which the use and harmful correlates of expressive suppression are more likely to occur. Building from theory positing that different contexts entail different risks of rejection, we investigated whether ex…
Sexist Attitudes, Relationship Conflict and Satisfaction in Heterosexual Couples, and Men’s and Women’s Wellbeing
Changes in well-being and relationship satisfaction in the years before and after marriage in a sample of New Zealand adults
The well-being literature reveals that individuals experience increases in well-being leading up to marriage, followed by a return to pre-marriage levels shortly after marriage. In contrast, the relationship/marriage literature suggests that relationship satisfaction may steadily decline across time. However, it is unclear at what point relationship satisfaction may begin to decline. In the current study, we drew data from a nationally representa…
Greater average levels of relatedness need fulfilment across daily and monthly life predict lower attachment insecurities across time
Attachment insecurity is characterized by chronic concerns about whether partners can fulfil core relatedness needs, including feeling loved and cared about. In two longitudinal studies, our aim was to extend current evidence that certain relationship conditions buffer attachment insecurity by (1) focusing on the central ingredient-fulfilment of relatedness needs-that likely account for buffering effects, and (2) illustrate the importance of gene…
Holiday or hell? Emotion regulation and memory of depressive symptoms during lockdown
The ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic provide an unparalleled context to examine how distressing events are remembered. Prior theory and research suggest that (a) distress during lockdowns may fade and be remembered as less distressing, or remain salient and be remembered as more distressing, than initially experienced and (b) emotional suppression and cognitive reappraisal may predict these memory biases. We test these possibilities…
Is Marriage Associated With Decreases or Increases in Sexism
The current study examines whether a pivotal event central to gender relations—marriage—is associated with changes in sexism. Drawing upon a nationally representative study assessing sexist attitudes across 14 years, event-aligned piecewise latent growth models examined change in hostile and benevolent sexism (1) across the years prior to marriage, (2) within the year immediately post marriage, and (3) across the years following marriage ( N = 1,…
Parents’ Pre-Pandemic Benevolent Sexism Predicted Lower Parenting Strain and Psychological Distress During Covid-19 Lockdowns
Women’s Experiences of Sexual Harassment and Reductions in Well-Being and System Justification
This study examines the impact of personally experiencing sexual harassment on women’s subjective well-being and perceptions of gender relations and society. We draw upon large-scale national probability panel data and utilize propensity score matching to identify (1) women who reported sexual harassment in the past year and (2) a matched control group of women who were comparable in outcome and demographic variables in the previous year but did …
Does powerlessness motivate men and women to endorse sexism
People who feel powerless are motivated to gain power, which may include men endorsing hostile sexism to affirm societal power or women endorsing benevolent sexism to affirm power in relationships. We used four waves of an annual longitudinal panel sample ( N = 58,405) to test whether within‐person changes in powerlessness predicted subsequent changes in men's hostile sexism and women's benevolent sexism. Results from a random intercept cross‐lag…
Did relationship quality during the Covid-19 pandemic vary across cultural contexts
We examined whether the impact of the pandemic on couple relationships varied across cultural contexts. Following from studies showing better outcomes (lower disease risk, greater well-being) within cultures higher in tightness (having strong norms promoting conformity) or collectivism (vs. individualism), we predicted that tighter and more collectivistic contexts would be associated with better relationship functioning. Preregistered analyses us…
How sociocultural contexts may shape the impact of the Covid ‐19 pandemic on couples' relationships
The COVID‐19 pandemic continues to affect couples worldwide who vary in sociocultural values, norms, and expectations, but most work examining connections between pandemic‐related stress and couples' relationships has been conducted in the US or similar Western cultures. Guided by the vulnerability‐stress‐adaptation (VSA) model (Karney & Bradbury, 1995), we present a revised theoretical framework for evaluating how sociocultural contexts may mode…
Using Observational Dyadic Methods in Youth Mentoring Research: Preliminary Evidence of the Role of Actors’ and Partners’ Self-disclosure in Predicting Relationship Quality
Self-disclosure builds high quality relationships, but knowledge of self-disclosure in youth mentoring relationships is limited by a lack of research and reliance on self-reports. To demonstrate the value of observational methods and dyadic modeling of mentoring communication processes, this study examined the associations between behavioral observation of self-disclosure and self-reported relationship quality in 49 mentee-mentor dyads (mentees: …
Applying relationship science to evaluate how the Covid-19 pandemic may impact couples’ relationships
The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly altered people's daily lives and created multiple societal challenges. One important challenge of this unique stressor is maintaining well-functioning intimate relationships, which are inextricably tied to emotional and physical health. Yet research on romantic relationships shows that external stressors such as economic hardship, demanding jobs, and disasters can threaten the quality and stab…
Abortion Attitudes: An Overview of Demographic and Ideological Differences
Despite being a defining issue in the culture war, the political psychology of abortion attitudes remains poorly understood. We address this oversight by reviewing existing literature and integrating new analyses of several large‐scale, cross‐sectional, and longitudinal datasets to identify the demographic and ideological correlates of abortion attitudes. Our review and new analyses indicate that abortion support is increasing modestly over time …
Pair-Bonding, Romantic Love, and Evolution: The Curious Case of Homo sapiens
This article evaluates a thesis containing three interconnected propositions. First, romantic love is a "commitment device" for motivating pair-bonding in humans. Second, pair-bonding facilitated the idiosyncratic life history of hominins, helping to provide the massive investment required to rear children. Third, managing long-term pair bonds (along with family relationships) facilitated the evolution of social intelligence and cooperative skill…
Gendered division of labor during a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown: Implications for relationship problems and satisfaction
COVID-19 lockdowns have required many working parents to balance domestic and paid labor while confined at home. Are women and men equally sharing the workload? Are inequities in the division of labor compromising relationships? Leveraging a pre-pandemic longitudinal study of couples with young children, we examine gender differences in the division and impact of domestic and paid labor during a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown ( N = 157 dyads). Wome…
Regulating partners in intimate relationships: The costs and benefits of different communication strategies
This study tested the success of communication strategies used by relationship partners (N = 61 romantic couples) who were videotaped while trying to produce desired changes in each other. Strategies varying in valence (positive vs. negative) and directness (direct vs. indirect) were differentially associated with postdiscussion perceptions of success as well as ratings of demonstrated change in targeted features gathered at 3-month intervals dur…
Regulation processes in intimate relationships: The role of ideal standards
This research investigated the consistency between partner perceptions and ideal standards (ideal-perception consistency) and the partner regulation attempts of 200 individuals involved in relationships (Study 1) and 62 heterosexual couples (Study 2). As predicted, greater regulation attempts were associated with lower ideal-perception consistency, and these links operated within 3 pivotal mate-evaluation dimensions and were moderated by perceive…
All or nothing: Attachment avoidance and the curvilinear effects of partner support
People high in attachment avoidance typically respond more negatively to partner support, but some research suggests they can be calmed by high levels of practical support. In the present research, we attempted to reconcile these inconsistencies by modeling curvilinear associations between romantic partners' support and support recipients' outcomes and testing whether these curvilinear associations were moderated by recipients' degree of attachme…
Attachment anxiety and reactions to relationship threat: The benefits and costs of inducing guilt in romantic partners
The current research tested whether individuals high in attachment anxiety react to relationship threats in ways that can help them feel secure and satisfied in their relationship. Individuals higher in attachment anxiety experienced greater hurt feelings on days they faced partner criticism or conflict (Study 1) and during observed conflict discussions (Study 2). These pronounced hurt feelings triggered exaggerated expressions of hurt to induce …
When Women Become More Hostilely Sexist toward their Gender: The System-Justifying Effect of Benevolent Sexism
Buffering attachment-related avoidance: Softening emotional and behavioral defenses during conflict discussions
This study examined whether partners can soften the defenses associated with attachment-related avoidance. Heterosexual couples (N = 180) were video-recorded having 2 discussions in which 1 partner (the agent of influence) wanted the other partner (the target of influence) to change in some way. After rating how successful the discussion was in producing change, agents and targets reviewed their discussions. At the end of every 30 s of the intera…
An interdependence account of sexism and power: Men’s hostile sexism, biased perceptions of low power, and relationship aggression
Protecting men's power is fundamental to understanding the origin, expression, and targets of hostile sexism, yet no prior theoretical or empirical work has specified how hostile sexism is related to experiences of power. In the current studies, we propose that the interdependence inherent in heterosexual relationships will lead men who more strongly endorse hostile sexism to perceive they have lower power in their relationship, and that these pe…
Internalizing sexism within close relationships: Perceptions of intimate partners’ benevolent sexism promote women’s endorsement of benevolent sexism
The current research demonstrated that women's adoption of benevolent sexism is influenced by their perceptions of their intimate partners' agreement with benevolent sexism. In 2 dyadic longitudinal studies, committed heterosexual couples reported on their own sexism and perceptions of their partner's sexism twice across 9 months (Study 1) and 5 times across 1 year (Study 2). Women who perceived that their male partner more strongly endorsed bene…
Attachment insecurity, biased perceptions of romantic partners’ negative emotions, and hostile relationship behavior
In the current research, we tested the extent to which attachment insecurity produces inaccurate and biased perceptions of intimate partners' emotions and whether more negative perceptions of partners' emotions elicit the damaging behavior often associated with attachment insecurity. Perceptions of partners' emotions as well as partners' actual emotions were assessed multiple times in couples' conflict discussions (Study 1) and daily during a 3-w…
Parents’ distress and poor parenting during a Covid-19 lockdown: The buffering effects of partner support and cooperative coparenting
The COVID-19 pandemic is placing demands on parents that may amplify the risk of parents' distress and poor parenting. Leveraging a prepandemic study in New Zealand, the current research tested whether parents' psychological distress during a mandated lockdown predicts relative residual changes in poorer parenting and whether partner support and cooperative coparenting buffer this potentially detrimental effect. Participants included 362 parents;…
The costs and benefits of sexism: Resistance to influence during relationship conflict
This study tested whether men's and women's hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) were associated with resistance to influence in couples' conflict interactions. Ninety-one heterosexual couples were recorded while trying to produce desired changes in each other. Participants reviewed their discussions and rated how open they were to their partner's perspective. Objective coders also rated the extent to which each partner exhibited hostil…
A Dual Process Motivational Model of Ambivalent Sexism and Gender Differences in Romantic Partner Preferences
We tested a dual process motivational model of ambivalent sexism and gender differences in intimate partner preferences. Meta-analysis of 32 samples (16 with men, 16 with women; N = 5,459) indicated that Benevolent Sexism (BS) in women was associated with greater preferences for high-resource partners ( r = 0.24), whereas Hostile Sexism (HS) in men was associated with stronger preferences for physically attractive partners ( r = 0.20). Study 2 ex…
When power shapes interpersonal behavior: Low relationship power predicts men’s aggressive responses to low situational power
When does power in intimate relationships shape important interpersonal behaviors, such as psychological aggression? Five studies tested whether possessing low relationship power was associated with aggressive responses, but (a) only within power-relevant relationship interactions when situational power was low, and (b) only by men because masculinity (but not femininity) involves the possession and demonstration of power. In Studies 1 and 2, men…
Experiences and interpersonal consequences of hurt feelings and anger
This research compared the experiences and consequences of hurt feelings and anger in 3 retrospective studies (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2), a dyadic daily diary study (Study 3), and a dyadic behavioral observation study (Study 4). Although victims felt both hurt and angry in response to perpetrators' behaviors that signaled relational devaluation (Studies 1-4), hurt and anger differed in terms of victims' subjective experiences and behaviors, perpetra…
Improving intimate relationships: Targeting the partner versus changing the self
This research examined the consequences of targeting the self versus the partner when trying to improve intimate relationships. As predicted, when participants ( N = 160) focused their relationship improvement attempts on changing the partner, individuals reported more negative improvement strategies, lower improvement success, and, in turn, more negative relationship evaluations. Self-focused improvement attempts and participants' own self-regul…
When accommodation matters: Situational dependency within daily interactions with romantic partners
When relationships do not live up to benevolent ideals: Women's benevolent sexism and sensitivity to relationship problems
Benevolent sexism promises women a revered place within intimate relationships, which should lead to greater dissatisfaction when they face relationship difficulties. We collected self‐reports of relationship problems and relationship satisfaction (Study 1; N = 91 heterosexual couples), relationship problems and relationship evaluations daily over 3 weeks (Study 1), and hurtful partner behaviour and relationship evaluations over 10 days (Study 2;…
Your Sexism Predicts My Sexism: Perceptions of Men’s (but not Women’s) Sexism Affects One’s Own Sexism Over Time
Masculine gender role stress, low relationship power, and aggression toward intimate partners
Prior research suggests that low relationship power is associated with greater aggression by men, but not women. Central explanations for these gender differences involve that power is central to masculinity, low power threatens masculinity, and being aggressive helps to restore power and masculinity. This study tested these proposed links by examining whether low relationship power is associated with greater aggression for men who are more sensi…
Modeling the hierarchical structure of personality-attachment associations: Domain diffusion versus domain differentiation
This study examined the extent to which personality traits and attachment orientations within distinct relationship domains (romantic, familial, and friendship) exhibited diffuse versus differentiated associations with attachments toward specific persons (e.g., current romantic partner, mother, best friend). The results were consistent with a hierarchically organized model of the attachment representational network containing global (personality)…
Actor and partner power are distinct and have differential effects on social behavior
1,787) tested whether actor and partner power independently predicted behavioral inhibition (expressive suppression) and communal behavior (prioritization of partners' needs) within close relationships, including during couples' daily life (Study 1), lab-based social interactions (Studies 1-5; 1,012 dyadic interactions), and general responses during conflict (Studies 5 and 6). Actor power was negatively associated with behavioral inhibition, indi…
Mapping the Intimate Relationship Mind: Comparisons between Three Models of Attachment Representations
This study compared three models of how attachment working models might be cognitively represented. Model 1 posits that attachment representations consist of a single global working model summarizing attachment across specific relationships and domains. Model 2 proposes three independent working models for the relationship domains of family, platonic friendships, and romantic partners. Model 3 postulates that specific relationship models are nest…
A dyadic assessment of forgiveness in intimate relationships
This study investigated forgiveness by examining couples’ recollections and perceptions of specific incidents of transgressions in their relationships. The results replicated previous research but also produced some novel findings. Results showed that more positive attributions and relationship quality independently predicted higher internal forgiveness, whereas expressed forgiveness was related only to relationship quality. Overall, the sample w…
Regulation processes in intimate relationships: The role of ideal standards
This research investigated the consistency between partner perceptions and ideal standards (ideal-perception consistency) and the partner regulation attempts of 200 individuals involved in relationships (Study 1) and 62 heterosexual couples (Study 2). As predicted, greater regulation attempts were associated with lower ideal-perception consistency, and these links operated within 3 pivotal mate-evaluation dimensions and were moderated by perceive…
When Women Become More Hostilely Sexist toward their Gender: The System-Justifying Effect of Benevolent Sexism
The boundaries between attachment and personality: Associations across three levels of the attachment network
When accommodation matters: Situational dependency within daily interactions with romantic partners
Your Sexism Predicts My Sexism: Perceptions of Men’s (but not Women’s) Sexism Affects One’s Own Sexism Over Time
The boundaries between attachment and personality: Localized versus generalized effects in daily social interaction
Attachment and dependence regulation within daily interactions with romantic partners
For 2 weeks, 74 New Zealand undergraduate students recorded their reactions to two components of situational dependence during interactions with their romantic partner: low personal control and high partner impact. Lower personal control predicted lower perceived regard and intimacy, greater partner derogation and withdrawal (self‐protective dependence regulation), and reduced attempts to improve interaction quality (relationship‐promotive depend…
Regulating partners in intimate relationships: The costs and benefits of different communication strategies
This study tested the success of communication strategies used by relationship partners (N = 61 romantic couples) who were videotaped while trying to produce desired changes in each other. Strategies varying in valence (positive vs. negative) and directness (direct vs. indirect) were differentially associated with postdiscussion perceptions of success as well as ratings of demonstrated change in targeted features gathered at 3-month intervals dur…
Helping Each Other Grow: Romantic Partner Support, Self-Improvement, and Relationship Quality
This research tested whether and how partners’ support of self-improvement efforts influences recipients’ relationship evaluations and self-improvement success. Study 1 provided an initial test of predictions using self-reports ( N = 150). Study 2 assessed support behavior exhibited in couples’ ( N = 47) discussions of self-improvement desires, and tracked relationship quality and self-improvement every 3 months for 1 year. More nurturing and act…
Loyal but ignored: The benefits and costs of constructive communication behavior
The consequences of exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect behavior were examined using retrospective questionnaires (Study 1) and 2 social interaction diary studies (Study 2). Exit and neglect were generally associated with more negative partner responses and reduced feelings of value and closeness, and were reported to be more harmful to the relationship. Voice was associated with more positive partner responses and greater value and intimacy, and w…
Perceiving regulation from intimate partners: Reflected appraisal and self-regulation processes in close relationships
Cross-sectional (N = 202) and longitudinal analyses over a 6-month period (N = 155) assessed the consequences of perceiving regulation attempts from romantic partners. Greater perceived regulation from the partner was associated with more negative inferences regarding how closely individuals matched their partner's ideal standards in the targeted domain (inferred ideal consistency). Lower inferred ideal consistency, in turn, was associated with p…
Modeling the hierarchical structure of personality-attachment associations: Domain diffusion versus domain differentiation
This study examined the extent to which personality traits and attachment orientations within distinct relationship domains (romantic, familial, and friendship) exhibited diffuse versus differentiated associations with attachments toward specific persons (e.g., current romantic partner, mother, best friend). The results were consistent with a hierarchically organized model of the attachment representational network containing global (personality)…
A Youth Performing Arts Experience: Psychological Experiences, Recollections, and the Desire to Do It Again
Stage Challenge is a performing arts competition for New Zealand secondary schools. This longitudinal study used observations, repeated questionnaires, informal conversations, and a graffiti board to follow the 5-month experience of a student-led girls’ team aged 10 to 17 years ( n = 103). The focus was on the quality of their experience and what contributed to and detracted from their desire to repeat it in future. Stage Challenge was affectivel…
A Dual Process Motivational Model of Ambivalent Sexism and Gender Differences in Romantic Partner Preferences
We tested a dual process motivational model of ambivalent sexism and gender differences in intimate partner preferences. Meta-analysis of 32 samples (16 with men, 16 with women; N = 5,459) indicated that Benevolent Sexism (BS) in women was associated with greater preferences for high-resource partners ( r = 0.24), whereas Hostile Sexism (HS) in men was associated with stronger preferences for physically attractive partners ( r = 0.20). Study 2 ex…
The costs and benefits of sexism: Resistance to influence during relationship conflict
This study tested whether men's and women's hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) were associated with resistance to influence in couples' conflict interactions. Ninety-one heterosexual couples were recorded while trying to produce desired changes in each other. Participants reviewed their discussions and rated how open they were to their partner's perspective. Objective coders also rated the extent to which each partner exhibited hostil…
Improving intimate relationships: Targeting the partner versus changing the self
This research examined the consequences of targeting the self versus the partner when trying to improve intimate relationships. As predicted, when participants ( N = 160) focused their relationship improvement attempts on changing the partner, individuals reported more negative improvement strategies, lower improvement success, and, in turn, more negative relationship evaluations. Self-focused improvement attempts and participants' own self-regul…
Let's talk about us: Attachment, relationship‐focused disclosure, and relationship quality
This research tested whether attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with couples' ( N = 59) disclosure during recorded discussions of recent events. The links between attachment and disclosure with relationship quality across 1 year were also assessed. Attachment was not associated with amount or intimacy of disclosure, but greater attachment anxiety was associated with more relationship‐focused disclosure, whereas attachment avoidance …
Experiences and interpersonal consequences of hurt feelings and anger
This research compared the experiences and consequences of hurt feelings and anger in 3 retrospective studies (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2), a dyadic daily diary study (Study 3), and a dyadic behavioral observation study (Study 4). Although victims felt both hurt and angry in response to perpetrators' behaviors that signaled relational devaluation (Studies 1-4), hurt and anger differed in terms of victims' subjective experiences and behaviors, perpetra…
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 …
When relationships do not live up to benevolent ideals: Women's benevolent sexism and sensitivity to relationship problems
Benevolent sexism promises women a revered place within intimate relationships, which should lead to greater dissatisfaction when they face relationship difficulties. We collected self‐reports of relationship problems and relationship satisfaction (Study 1; N = 91 heterosexual couples), relationship problems and relationship evaluations daily over 3 weeks (Study 1), and hurtful partner behaviour and relationship evaluations over 10 days (Study 2;…
Buffering attachment-related avoidance: Softening emotional and behavioral defenses during conflict discussions
This study examined whether partners can soften the defenses associated with attachment-related avoidance. Heterosexual couples (N = 180) were video-recorded having 2 discussions in which 1 partner (the agent of influence) wanted the other partner (the target of influence) to change in some way. After rating how successful the discussion was in producing change, agents and targets reviewed their discussions. At the end of every 30 s of the intera…
Inferring a partner’s ideal discrepancies: Accuracy, projection, and the communicative role of interpersonal behavior
Guided by the ideal standards model (Simpson, Fletcher, & Campbell, 2001), we tested in 2 studies whether (a) individuals were accurate when inferring how closely they matched their romantic partner's ideal standards, (b) such accurate inferences explained why people are more satisfied when they more closely match their partner's ideals, and (c) accurate inferences are generated via the partner's behavior during conflict interactions. Both member…
The Allure of Sexism: Psychological Entitlement Fosters Women’s Endorsement of Benevolent Sexism Over Time
Benevolent sexism functions to uphold gender inequality by expressing caring and reverent attitudes exclusively toward women. Do these subjective benefits lure women to endorse benevolent sexism? We tested this by examining whether women’s psychological entitlement was associated with concurrent levels of benevolent sexism and longitudinal changes in benevolent sexism over 1 year in a national panel sample ( N = 4421 New Zealanders). As predicted…
Psychology (99 works) · Social Psychology (92 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (74 works) · Developmental psychology (74 works) · Social Psychology (43 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (31 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (24 works) · Clinical Psychology (22 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (21 works) · Perception (21 works)