Inclusion of the partner in the self and its association with relational quality and quality of life: an analysis based on the actor-partner interdependence model

• Autores: María Alonso Ferres, Gemma Sáez Díaz, Marta Garrido Macías, Ginés Navarro Carrillo, Celia Serrano Montilla, Inmaculada Valor Segura
• Localización: International Journal of Social Psychology, Revista de Psicología Social, ISSN-e 1579-3680, ISSN 0213-4748, Vol. 39, Nº 1, 2024, págs. 117-141
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1177/02134748231221442
• Títulos paralelos:
  • La inclusión de la pareja en el yo y su asociación con la calidad relacional y vital: un análisis basado en el modelo de interdependencia actor-pareja
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    Al formar una relación, las personas pueden incluir en cierta medida los recursos, perspectivas e identidades de su pareja en su propia identidad (i.e., inclusión del otro en el yo; IOS, por sus siglas en inglés). En esta investigación, realizada con 169 parejas, examinamos la asociación de tres fuentes de IOS: (a) la IOS de un miembro de la relación, (b) la IOS de su pareja, (c) la similitud en IOS entre ambos miembros de la relación con indicadores de calidad relacional (conflictos de pareja, satisfacción con la relación y satisfacción sexual) y vital (satisfacción con la vida y estrés). Siguiendo una aproximación multinivel, los resultados mostraron que una mayor IOS se relacionó, por un lado, con mayores niveles de calidad relacional en la propia persona y en su pareja y, por otro, con mayores niveles de calidad vital en la propia persona, pero no en su pareja. Asimismo, las parejas mostraron una alta similitud en IOS, la cual fue indicativa de una mayor calidad tanto relacional como vital. Estos resultados subrayan la importancia de analizar los mecanismos (inter)personales y sus consecuencias a diferentes niveles (i.e., individual y pareja).

  • English

    When forming a relationship, people can to some extent include their partner’s resources, perspectives and identities in their own identity (i.e., inclusion of the other in the self, or IOS). In this study, which was conducted with 169 couples, we examine the association of three sources of IOS: (a) the IOS of one member of the relationship; (b) the IOS of their partner; and (c) the similarity of both partners’ IOS with indicators of relational quality (partner conflicts, satisfaction with the relationship and sexual satisfaction) and quality of life (life satisfaction and stress). Using a multilevel approach, the results showed that higher IOS was related to higher levels of relational quality in the person and their partner, and with higher levels of quality of life in the person but not in their partner. Likewise, couples showed a strong similarity in IOS, which was indicative of higher relational quality and quality of life. These results underscore the importance of analysing the (inter)personal mechanisms and their consequences at different levels (i.e., individual and couple).

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Acitelli L. K., Rogers S., Knee C. R. (1999). The role of identity in the link between relationship thinking and relationship satisfaction....
  • Agnew C. R., Harman J. (2019). Power in close relationships. Cambridge University Press. Crossref.
  • Agnew C. R., Van Lange P. A., Rusbult C. E., Langston C. A. (1998). Cognitive interdependence: Commitment and the mental representation of...
  • Alonso-Ferres M., Imami L., Slatcher R. B. (2020). Untangling the effects of partner responsiveness on health and well-being: The role of...
  • Alonso-Ferres M., Valor-Segura I., Expósito F. (2021). Elucidating the effect of perceived power on destructive responses during romantic...
  • Aron A., Aron E. N. (1986). Love and the expansion of self: Understanding attraction and satisfaction. Hemisphere.
  • Aron A., Aron E. N., Smollan D. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality...
  • Aron A., Lewandowski G., Branand B., Mashek D., Aron E. (2022). Self-expansion motivation and inclusion of others in self: An updated review....
  • Ben-Ari A., Lavee Y. (2007). Dyadic closeness in marriage: From the inside story to a conceptual model. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,...
  • Benavidez T. M., Neria A. L., Jones D. N. (2016). The bond that breaks: Closeness and honor predict morality-related aggression. Evolutionary...
  • Bennett D. A. (2001). How can I deal with missing data in my study? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public, 25, 464–469. Crossref
  • Branand B., Mashek D., Aron A. (2019). Pair-bonding as inclusion of other in the self: A literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2399....
  • Bogacz F., Pun T., Klimecki O. M. (2020). Improved conflict resolution in romantic couples in mediation compared to negotiation. Humanities...
  • Carroll L., Turner J. A. (1999). A comparative study of relational interconnectedness, merger, and ego development in lesbian, gay male, and...
  • Denes A. (2012). Pillow talk: Exploring disclosures after sexual activity. Western Journal of Communication, 76(2), 91–108. Crossref
  • Denes A., Horan S. M., Bennett M. (2019). ‘Faking it’ and affectionate communication: Exploring the authenticity of orgasm and relational...
  • Diener E., Emmons R. A., Larsen R. J., Griffin S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75....
  • Donaldson S. (1989). Similarity in sensation-seeking, sexual satisfaction and contentment in relationship in heterosexual couples. Psychological...
  • Dyrenforth P. S., Kashy D. A., Donnellan M. B., Lucas R. E. (2010). Predicting relationship and life satisfaction from personality in nationally...
  • EUROSTAT. (2018). Are you satisfied with your personal relationships? https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20200730-1
  • Frost D. M., Forrester C. (2013). Closeness discrepancies in romantic relationships: Implications for relational well-being, stability, and...
  • Gesell N., Niklas F., Schmiedeler S., Segerer R. (2020). Mindfulness and romantic relationship outcomes: The mediating role of conflict resolution...
  • Gordon C. L., Baucom D. H. (2009). Examining the individual within marriage: Personal strengths and relationship satisfaction. Personal Relationships,...
  • Hahlweg K., Schindler L., Revenstorf D. (1990). PL - Problemliste. In G. Hank, K. Hahlweg, N. Klann (Hrsg.), Diagnostische Verfahren für Berater...
  • Hendrick S. S. (1988). A generic measure of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(1), 93–98. Crossref
  • Holmes T. H., Rahe R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11(2), 213–218. Crossref
  • Jensen K. J., Cross K. J. (2021). Engineering stress culture: Relationships among mental health, engineering identity, and sense of inclusion....
  • Joo M., Park S. W. (2017). Effect of identity fusion on decision to make extreme sacrifices in romantic relationships: The moderating role...
  • Kang S. K., Hirsh J. B., Chasteen A. L. (2010). Your mistakes are mine: Self-other overlap predicts neural response to observed errors. Journal...
  • Kashdan T. B., Adams L., Savostyanova A., Ferssizidis P., McKnight P. E., Nezlek J. B. (2011). Effects of social anxiety and depressive symptoms...
  • Kashy D. A., Ackerman R. A., Donnellan M. B. (2018). Analyzing crosssectional and longitudinal data in close relationships. In Vangelisti...
  • Keltner D., Gruenfeld D. H., Anderson C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110(2), 265–284. Crossref
  • Kenny D. A., Kashy D. A., Cook W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. Guilford Press.
  • Ketay S., Welker K. M., Slatcher R. B. (2017). The roles of testosterone and cortisol in friendship formation. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 76,...
  • Lane S. P., Hennes E. P. (2018). Power struggles: Estimating sample size for multilevel relationships research. Journal of Social and Personal...
  • Le B., Dove N. L., Agnew C. R., Korn M. S., Mutso A. A. (2010). Predicting nonmarital romantic relationship dissolution: A meta-analytic synthesis....
  • Leary M. R., Tipsord J. M., Tate E. B. (2008). Allo-inclusive identity: Incorporating the social and natural worlds into one’s sense of self....
  • Ledbetter A. M. (2013). Relational maintenance and inclusion of other in the self: Measure development and dyadic test of a self-expansion...
  • Li S., Zhang L., Sangguan C., Wang X., Li X., Lu J. (2021). The influence of relationships closeness and desire for forgiveness on interpersonal...
  • Morry M. M. (2005). Relationship satisfaction as a predictor of similarity ratings: A test of the attraction-similarity hypothesis. Journal...
  • Muise A., Harasymchuk C., Day L. C., Bacev-Giles C., Gere J., Impett E. A. (2019). Broadening your horizons: Self-expanding activities promote...
  • Overall N. C., McNulty J. K. (2017). What type of communication during conflict is beneficial for intimate relationships? Current Opinion...
  • Pietras L., Briken P. (2021). Inclusion of other in the self and couple’s sexuality: A scoping review. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy,...
  • Pietras L., Wiessner C., Briken P. (2022). How inclusion of other in the self relates to couple’s sexuality and functioning — Results from...
  • R Core Team. (2017). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. https://www.R-project.org/
  • Schafer J. L. (1999). Multiple imputation: A primer. Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 8, 3–15. Crossref
  • Scholl A., Sassenberg K., Ellemers N., Scheepers D., de Wit F. (2018). Highly identified power-holders feel responsible: The interplay between...
  • Stephenson K. R., Meston C. M. (2015). The conditional importance of sex: Exploring the association between sexual well-being and life satisfaction....
  • Strelan P., Karrenmas J., Krieg J. (2017). What determines forgiveness in close relationships? The role of post-transgression trust. British...
  • Swann W. B. Jr., Gómez Á., Seyle D. C., Morales J., Huici C. (2009). Identity fusion: The interplay of personal and social identities in extreme...
  • Swann W. B., Buhrmester M. D. (2015). Identity fusion. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 52–57. Crossref
  • Thibaut J. W., Kelley H. H. (1959). The social psychology of groups. Wiley.
  • Topkaya N., Şahin E., Mehel M. (2023). Relationship-specific irrational beliefs and relationship satisfaction in intimate relationships. Current...
  • Træen B., Kvalem I. L. (2023). The longer it is, the closer one feels: Perception of emotional closeness to the partner, relationship duration,...
  • Tsapelas I., Aron A., Orbuch T. (2009). Marital boredom now predicts less satisfaction 9 years later. Psychological Science, 20(5), 543–545....
  • Valor-Segura I., Guzmán-González M. (2022). Relaciones de pareja: una mirada psicosocial. In Moya M. C., Valor-Segura I., Buunk A. P. (Eds.),...
  • VanderDrift L., Ioerger M., Arriaga X. (2019). Interdependence perspectives on power in relationships. In Agnew C., Harman J. (Eds.), Power...
  • Walsh C. M., Neff L. A. (2018). We’re better when we blend: The benefits of couple identity fusion. Self Identity, 17(5), 587–603. Crossref
  • Zhou Y., Wang K., Chen S., Zhang J., Zhou M. (2017). The actor, partner, similarity effects of personality, and interactions with gender and...