A Leap of Faith? Positive Illusions in Romantic Relationships
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23325481 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sandra L Murray (0000-0002-4506-9285, State University of New York at Buffalo,), Susan Murray (0000-0003-4387-7673, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), John G Holmes (University of Waterloo) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 586-604 |
| Publication date | 1997-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0146-1672 • E-ISSN: 1552-7433 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0146167297236003 |
| OpenAlex | W2049798922 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 168 |
| References cited | 54 |
It is proposed that satisfying, stable relationships reflect intimates' ability to see imperfect relationships in somewhat idealized ways-to make a leap of faith. Both members of dating and married couples completed a measure of relationship illusions, tapping idealized perceptions of the partners' attributes, exaggerated perceptions of control, and unrealistic optimism. Results of concurrent analyses revealed that relationship illusions predicted greater satisfaction, love, and trust, and less conflict and ambivalence in both dating and marital relationships. A longitudinal follow-up of the dating sample revealed that relationships were more likely to persist the stronger individuals' initial illusions. Relationship illusions also predicted increases in later satisfaction but not vice versa. These results suggest that positive illusions capture a prospective sense of conviction or security that is not simply isomorphic with satisfaction.
Ambivalence · Cognitive psychology · Conviction · Faith · Illusion · Optimism · Perception · Psychoanalysis · Romance · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
Childhood maltreatment and context dependent empathic accuracy in adult romantic relationships
Happier than thou? A self-enhancement bias in emotion attribution
The Use of Questionnaires in Conflict Research
Implicit theories of relationships
Respect in close relationships
Self-Deception
Commitment insurance
Narcissism and romantic relationships
Creativity and romantic passion
Misunderstanding the affective consequences of everyday social interactions
How interdependent are stay/leave decisions? On staying in the relationship for the sake of the romantic partner
Predictive validity and adjustment of ideal partner preferences across the transition into romantic relationships
An unconscious desire for hierarchy? The motivated perception of dominance complementarity in task partners
Not in the mood? Men under- (not over-) perceive their partner’s sexual desire in established intimate relationships
Optimistic expectations in early marriage
Relationship-specific identification and spontaneous relationship maintenance processes
Benevolent cognitions as a strategy of relationship maintenance
My child is God’s gift to humanity
Projection of responsiveness to needs and the construction of satisfying communal relationships
The forecast model of relationship commitment
The part of me that you bring out
Ideals, perceptions, and evaluations in early relationship development
Being Known, Intimate, and Valued
First-time mothers' expectations of parenthood
The social psychology of gender
Close Relationships
Social Relationships in Adulthood
Trust in Physicians and Medical Institutions
Trust in the Medical Profession
Self-Enhancement and Psychological Adjustment
Nice to know you
Bias and Accuracy in Close Relationships
Self-Disclosure in Intimate Relationships
Perceived Control and the Optimistic Bias
Implicit Romantic Fantasies and Women's Interest in Personal Power
Ideal Standards, the Self, and Flexibility of Ideals in Close Relationships
Measuring Patients’ Trust in their Primary Care Providers
Interpersonal Processes
The Mismeasure of Love
Associations Between Attention to Warning Signs, Marital Confidence, and Interactional Problem Solving Among Emerging Adult Couples in Mainland China
A Dyadic Investigation of Perceptions of Romantic Partners’ Problematic Alcohol Use
Relationship Attributions Are Not Universal
Technology and moral change
Reactance to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Messages
Perceptions of partner social control
Antecedents and consequences of interpersonal electronic surveillance in romantic relationships
Communicating Commitment
Appreciated and Motivated
The Ups and Downs of Being Us
The Effects of Corrective Strategies on Romantic Belief Endorsement
Toward a theory of technology desirability
Holding on & letting go
I hope my partner can make me change
Perceived Partner Anxiety and Avoidance and Components of Relationship Quality
In Defense of Moderate Romantic Curiosity and Information Avoidance
Morality justifies motivated reasoning in the folk ethics of belief
Understanding the Links Between Perceiving Gratitude and Romantic Relationship Satisfaction Using an Accuracy and Bias Framework
Distinguishing Dismissing From Fearful Attachment in the Association Between Closeness and Commitment
Is Long-Term Love More Than A Rare Phenomenon? If So, What Are Its Correlates
Accuracy and Bias in Perceptions of Relationship Interest for Intergroup and Intragroup Roommates
Projecting the Current Salient Relational Situations Into the Past and Future Across Cultures
Accurate First Impressions Leave a Lasting Impression
Positive and Negative Relationship Evaluation Processes as Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction
Through rose-tinted glasses
What Constitutes a Healthy Communal Marriage and Why Relationship Stage Matters
Bolstering Military Couple Relational Resilience Through Savoring
Relationships, health, and stress
Relationship maintenance strategies of rotational workers and their partners
Happy couples “see” helpful partners
Committed to succeed
Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Partner Version of the Psychological Distance Scaling Task
Whose personality is better, mine or my partner's? Self‐enhancement bias in relationships
Do positive illusions predict overconfidence in judgment? A test using interval production and probability evaluation measures of miscalibration
Relational Uncertainty and Message Processing in Marriage
Putative Secrets and Conflict in Romantic Relationships over Time
An analysis of the association between topic avoidance and dissatisfaction
The Real Versus the Ideal
Traditional Gender Roles and Their Connections to Relational Uncertainty and Relational Satisfaction
The Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal and Positive Illusions in Friendship
I’m ready if you are
When “we” defines “me”
A psychometric evaluation of the irrational beliefs inventory in a marital context
Cognitive dissonance, ego-involvement, and motivated reasoning
Techno-optimism
A Social Cognitive Analysis of the Effects of Parental Divorce on Premarital Couples' Communication Skills
Students' Expectations and Optimism Toward Marriage as a Function of Parental Divorce
Knowing how you see me
Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Accuracy and Bias in Emotion Regulation Trait Judgments
Sexual similarity, complementarity, accuracy, and overperception in same‐sex couples
Predicting nonmarital romantic relationship dissolution
The unique and combined benefits of accuracy and positive bias in relationships
Accuracy and bias in perceptions of emotionally supportive communication in marriage
Personality goes a long way
The influence of social networks on romantic relationships
The theory of resilience and relational load
Perceived versus reported social referent approval and romantic relationship commitment and persistence
A comparison of concurrent and retrospective trajectories of commitment to wed
Predicting dating relationship fate with insiders’ and outsiders’ perspectives
Positive illusion in close relationships
Positive illusions about a partner's physical attractiveness and relationship quality
Liking and Loving
A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Effects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being
Conflict in the Development of Close Relationships
Referential Comparisons, Relational Comparisons, and Exchange Orientation
The Making and Breaking of Affectional Bonds
Toward a Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model of Social Behavior
Narcissism and Self-Evaluation Maintenance
Foundations of social psychology
Attachment and Loss. Vol. 1. Attachment
Identity
Intimate Relationships
The role of intimacy and social support in health outcomes
Behavioral buffers on the effect of negativity on marital satisfaction
The effects of self‐beliefs and relationship beliefs on adjustment to a relationship stressor
Attributions in marriage
Loving and leaving
The Dissolution of Intimate Relationships
Self–other judgments and perceived vulnerability to victimization
When Love Is Blind
Measuring Marital Quality
Modes of resolution of belief dilemmas
Close relationships as including other in the self
Resisting temptation
A longitudinal test of the investment model
Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples
Romantic relationships
The affective consequences of social comparison
Trust in close relationships
Socioemotional behavior and satisfaction in marital relationships
A psychological taxonomy of trait-descriptive terms
The benefits of positive illusions
The role of negative affectivity in the association between attributions and marital satisfaction
The dissolution of romantic relationships
Changes in the marital relationship after the first baby is born
Uncertainty orientation and trust in close relationships
Motivated inference
The self-fulfilling nature of positive illusions in romantic relationships
Seeing virtues in faults
When the head protects the heart
Overly positive self-evaluations and personality
Personality and compatibility
Accommodation processes in close relationships
Relational schemas and the processing of social information
The need to belong
Illusion and well-being
Errors and mistakes
Do positive illusions foster mental health? An examination of the Taylor and Brown formulation
The Development of Investment and Commitment Scales for Predicting Continuity of Personal Relationships
| Unique citing works | 168 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6 |
| Citation span | 1998 - 2026 (29) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 143 |