Relationship-specific identification and spontaneous relationship maintenance processes

Bibliographic Data

ID6206753
AuthorsLisa Linardatos (McGill University), John E Lydon (0000-0002-6500-5385, McGill University)
Year2011
Volume101
Issue4
Pages737-753
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0023647
PMID21728451
OpenAlexW2025336151
LanguageEN
Citations received29
References cited132

Attractive alternative partners pose a relational threat to people in romantic relationships. Given that people are often limited in their time and energy, having the capacity to effortlessly respond to such relational threats is extremely useful. In 4 studies, we explored how people's identity in terms of their romantic relationship--their relationship-specific identity--affects their relationship-protective behaviors. We predicted that once a relationship becomes a part of one's sense of self, relationship maintenance responses are exhibited in a relatively fluid, spontaneous manner. In Study 1, we assessed the convergent and divergent validity of relationship-specific identification, demonstrating how it is associated with other relationship constructs. In Study 2, we found that less identified participants mentioned their relationship less than those high in relationship-specific identification, but only when interacting with an attractive member of their preferred sex. In Study 3, using a dot-probe visual cuing task, we found that when primed with an attractive member of their preferred sex, those low in relationship-specific identification gazed longer at attractive preferred-sex others compared to those high in relationship-specific identification. In Study 4, we found that relationship-specific identification was associated with relationship survival 1-3 years after the initial assessment. The present results demonstrate that relationship-specific identification predicts relatively spontaneous, pro-relationship responses in the face of relational threat

Context (archaeology) · Developmental psychology · Identification (biology) · Identity (music) · Interpersonal relationship · Positive relationship · Relationship maintenance · Romance · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Ecology · Psychology · Social Psychology

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