Partner Transgressions Research Articles

Coping with Transgressions by the Romantic Partner: An Inventory Validation and its Correlation with Forgiveness

Almost every person has to deal with transgressions committed by a romantic partner and faces their negative psychological outcomes, and coping strategies might be key to understanding post-transgression dynamics and forgiveness. We tested the construct validity of the Inventory of Strategies for Coping with a Partner's Transgression which include the emotion (E-FCS), problem (P-FCS), and meaning-focused coping strategies (M-FCS) scales. Results replicated the factor structure of each of the three scales through confirmatory factor analysis techniques, tested its reliability with the McDonald’s omega coefficient, and then correlated the scales with forgiveness and resentment, strengthening its construct validity. In general, the validity and reliability of scales were confirmed. Emotion-focused strategies showed a negative correlation with forgiveness, while problem and meaning-focused strategies had a positive correlation. These findings were discussed in the context of theory and their practical implications.

Attachment and Dyadic Forgiveness in Individuals in Same-Sex Couple Relationships.

(1) Background: There is abundant evidence linking attachment insecurity to lower levels of interpersonal forgiveness. However, this association has been almost exclusively explored in people in a different-sex couple relationship, and there is little evidence referring to gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) people in a same-sex relationship. The present study examines the association between romantic attachment and dyadic forgiveness in individuals involved in a same-sex couple relationship. (2) Methods: A total of 248 participants (52.8% female) aged 18–67 years (mean age: 31.02 ± 9.39) completed the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire and the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivation Inventory. (3) Results: Structural equation modeling showed that attachment avoidance was more strongly associated with dyadic forgiveness than attachment anxiety. Higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance were both linked to higher levels of avoidance motivation in response to partner transgressions, and higher attachment avoidance was linked to lower benevolence motivation. Multigroup analyses indicated a gender-specific association between attachment avoidance and revenge motivations, which was positive and significant among men only. (4) Conclusions: In the present study, we have identified that attachment avoidance plays a more prominent role in the tendency to forgive in same-sex couples. Implications at both theoretical and clinical practice levels are discussed.

Revenge in Couple Relationships and Their Relation to the Dark Triad.

Background: This research examines how, when a romantic partner commits a perceived transgression that leads to couple break up, vengeful reactions are predicted by the type of transgression and the Dark Triad of personality. Methods: An incidental sample of 2142 participants, half male and half female aged 18 to 70, completed a questionnaire developed by the authors to assess how they had reacted after being the perceived victims of a transgression committed by their partner and a measure of the Dark Triad. Results: Results show half of the people who feel as though they are victims of a partner transgression show revenge reactions. These reactions are more emotional than rational and do not usually anticipate their consequences or success. Moreover, revenge is related primarily to psychopathy and to a lesser extent to Machiavellianism. Psychopathy is the best predictor for revenge thoughts and actions, whereas narcissism does not predict revenge when controlling for other dark traits. Conclusions: This study contributes to the explanation of revenge reactions in couple relationships in relation to the type of transgression perceived and the Dark Triad. Conflicts that arise out of revenge may have long-lasting consequences for both the perceived aggressor and victim, and our results may be useful for assessing risks, monitoring, and preventing negative consequences for partners or ex-partners.

The importance of investing in your relationship: Emotional capital and responses to partner transgressions:

Throughout their relationship, couples experience a myriad of small positive moments together, such as sharing leisure activities or laughing with one another. Although these moments may seem trivi...

The importance of investing in your relationship: Emotional capital and responses to partner transgressions

Throughout their relationship, couples experience a myriad of small positive moments together, such as sharing leisure activities or laughing with one another. Although these moments may seem trivial in isolation, growing research suggests that accumulating positive moments together helps couples build emotional capital, which can buffer them from the harmful consequences of relationship difficulties. The current study examined two potential mechanisms, relationship attributions and forgiveness, for this buffering effect. Newlywed couples reported their relationships attributions and forgiveness tendencies and completed a 10-day daily diary task assessing emotional capital, negative partner behaviors, and marital satisfaction. Consistent with previous research, spouses who reported accumulating more emotional capital on average across the diary task exhibited a weaker association between their partners’ daily negative behaviors and their daily satisfaction. Extending prior work, path analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of emotional capital on reactivity through relationship attributions and forgiveness. That is, spouses who reported more emotional capital tended to make more benevolent and forgiving interpretations of their partners’ behaviors, which in turn predicted reduced reactivity to partners’ transgressions. These findings contribute to a growing literature illuminating the critical role everyday shared positive moments may play in enhancing relationship well-being.

Let it go: Relationship autonomy predicts pro-relationship responses to partner transgressions.

The purpose of the present research is to better understand how relationship autonomy-having more self-determined reasons for being committed to a relationship-contributes to pro-relationship responses to transgressions in romantic relationships (e.g., forgiveness and accommodation). Study 1 employed a cross-sectional design (N = 350) and Study 2 used a weekly diary (N = 121) to test associations between relationship autonomy and pro-relationship responses to transgressions. Studies 3 and 4 utilized dyadic designs (Study 3: N = 200 couples, 400 individuals; Study 4: N = 275 couples, 550 individuals) to determine how both partners' relationship autonomy is associated with pro-relationship responses. Results revealed that relationship autonomy is robustly associated with pro-relationship responses to transgressions, both as general tendencies and as responses to idiosyncratic transgressions. Results of actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) analyses in Studies 3 and 4 provide evidence that one's partner's relationship autonomy is important for promoting pro-relationship responses as well. Study 4 also found that people perceive that partners respond better to transgressions if their partner is high in relationship autonomy. This research provides consistent and compelling evidence that the degree of self-determination underlying commitment is important for understanding how people respond to transgressions in their relationships, beyond their current levels of commitment.

Prayer and forgiveness: Beyond relationship quality and extension to marriage.

The majority of the world population profess religious/spiritual beliefs and prayer is a form of spiritual activity common across numerous religious/spiritual belief systems. Three studies therefore examined the role of prayer in romantic relationships. Study 1 (n = 91) showed that prayer for a dating partner predicted lower aggressive tendencies and greater forgiveness of partner transgressions, independently of relationship closeness. Study 2 (n = 89 married couples) is among the first to examine the prayer-forgiveness association using dyadic data. Controlling for relationship satisfaction in the actor-partner interdependence model, prayer for the spouse predicted own forgiveness but not partner's reports of their own forgiveness. To obviate the problem of obtaining all the data from the same reporter, Study 3 (n = 91 married couples) used partner reports of the spouse's forgiveness in an actor-partner interdependence model analysis. Controlling for religiosity, the results showed that prayer for the partner predicted partner reports of the prayer's forgiveness. The implications of these results are then discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Self-determination theory and intimate partner violence (IPV): Assessment of relationship causality orientations as predictors of IPV perpetration

Much research examines potential antecedents of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. The current manuscript suggests that motivation orientations, as conceptualized by self-determination theory, may be a useful framework for understanding why some people engage in reactive IPV perpetration. Studies 1a (N=572) and 1b (N=265) developed, based on self-determination theory, the Relationship Causality Orientation Scale (RCOS), assessing autonomous, controlled, and impersonal motivation orientations toward romantic relationships. Studies 2 (N=324) and 3 (N=274) examined associations between the RCOS and different operationalizations of IPV. In Study 2, results showed that autonomous orientation predicted lower, and controlled orientation predicted higher, likelihood of IPV perpetration. Study 3 experimentally primed partner transgression and employed a voodoo doll task. Results showed that autonomous orientation predicted less IPV perpetration, and inserting fewer pins into the voodoo doll, while controlled orientation predicted more IPV perpetration and inserting more pins into the voodoo doll.

Perception in Romantic Relationships: a Latent Profile Analysis of Trait Mindfulness in Relation to Attachment and Attributions

To advance understanding of the role of trait mindfulness in attributions for romantic partner transgressions, we examined the direct and indirect associations among attachment, trait mindfulness, and attributions in a sample of 542 young adults in romantic relationships. A latent profile analysis was used to identify four classes of trait mindfulness (i.e., High Mindfulness, Nonjudgmentally Aware, Low Mindfulness, Judgmentally Observing), and a subsequent structural equation model revealed several significant associations among attachment, the classes of trait mindfulness, and benign attributions for partner transgressions. For example, the High Mindfulness class and the Nonjudgmentally Aware class were positively associated with benign attributions. Furthermore, two significant indirect effects emerged. First, heightened attachment anxiety was associated with a decreased probability of being in the Nonjudgmentally Aware class, which was linked to a decrease in benign attributions. Second, avoidant attachment was associated with a decreased probability of membership in the High Mindfulness class, which was linked to a decrease in benign attributions. Areas for future research based on the findings of this study are discussed.

Daily Experiences and Relationship Well-Being: The Paradoxical Effects of Relationship Identification.

Even couples in healthy romantic relationships experience conflict at times. We examine whether relationship identification (the extent to which the relationship is incorporated into the self) predicts immediate reactivity to partner transgressions and also promotes global resilience over time. Sixty-three couples participated in a 2-week event-contingent diary study. On a daily basis, experiencing more partner transgressions than usual predicted decreases in relationship well-being and increases in negative affect. This within-person association was stronger for those high in relationship identification. However, after 2 weeks, changes in global relationship evaluations of low identifiers, but not of high identifiers, were contingent on the accumulation of partner transgressions and the degree of negative affect in response to these daily transgressions. This study suggests that internalizing a relationship into the self does not blind intimates to immediate negative events but rather provides a basis for their global relationship evaluations that is not contingent on recent events.

Compensatory Relationship Enhancement

The motivation-management model suggests that people are equipped with a variety of motivated strategies to mitigate against relationship threats such as conflicts of interests and partner transgressions. We propose that such strategies are more likely to be enacted when the nature of the threat is calibrated with the motivational basis for relationship maintenance. We examine how value dissimilarity may pose an identity threat that triggers reaffirming and bolstering one’s positive views of the partner and the relationship, namely, compensatory relationship enhancement. We experimentally manipulated feedback to dating couples about value similarity regarding a possible pregnancy decision (similar vs. control vs. dissimilar) and assessed relationship evaluations pre- and postmanipulation. Using multilevel modeling, we found that individuals highly identified with their relationship increased their baseline positive relationship evaluations in response to the threat of value dissimilarity.

Self-forgiveness in romantic relationships: 2. Impact on interpersonal forgiveness

Both self-forgiveness and other-forgiveness are associated with greater relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. The present research examines whether self-forgiveness for a transgression against the partner leads to greater forgiveness of a subsequent partner transgression, and whether this, in turn, predicts greater relationship satisfaction. Study 1 showed that self-forgiveness positively affected other-forgiveness in a scenario-based design employing university students. Study 2 investigated real transgressions between cohabiting partners and showed that self-forgiveness was positively related to relationship satisfaction both directly and indirectly, through other-forgiveness. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research.

Managing Relational Transgressions as Revealed on Facebook: The Influence of Dependence Power on Verbal Versus Nonverbal Responses

Dependence power is defined by the control a less dependent partner is perceived to have by the more dependent individual in a close relationship. Guided by assumptions about dependence power, we examined how individuals manage perceived relational transgressions by partners on Facebook, distinguishing between face-to-face responses versus those that are expressed nonverbally (through monitoring or maintenance behaviors) on the site. Participants included 290 females and 210 males in a dating relationship who completed measures of dependence power and Facebook use. Participants then viewed a screenshot reflecting a hypothetical Facebook partner transgression that varied by potential threat (high versus low). Finally, participants completed measures of perceived threat and a measure of responses to the transgression (monitoring and maintenance). Dependence power was associated with perceptions of the threat of a transgression, the likelihood of confronting a partner face-to-face about the perceived transgression, and engaging in Facebook monitoring behavior after a perceived transgression. Dependence power was not significantly associated with maintenance responses.

Trust and biased memory of transgressions in romantic relationships.

Relative to people with low trust in their romantic partner, people with high trust tend to expect that their partner will act in accordance with their interests. Consequently, we suggest, they have the luxury of remembering the past in a way that prioritizes relationship dependence over self-protection. In particular, they tend to exhibit relationship-promoting memory biases regarding transgressions the partner had enacted in the past. In contrast, at the other end of the spectrum, people with low trust in their partner tend to be uncertain about whether their partner will act in accordance with their interests. Consequently, we suggest, they feel compelled to remember the past in a way that prioritizes self-protection over relationship dependence. In particular, they tend to exhibit self-protective memory biases regarding transgressions the partner had enacted in the past. Four longitudinal studies of participants involved in established dating relationships or fledgling romantic relationships demonstrated that the greater a person's trust in their partner, the more positively they tend to remember the number, severity, and consequentiality of their partner's past transgressions-controlling for their initial reports. Such trust-inspired memory bias was partner-specific; it was more reliably evident for recall of the partner's transgressions and forgiveness than for recall of one's own transgressions and forgiveness. Furthermore, neither trust-inspired memory bias nor its partner-specific nature was attributable to potential confounds such as relationship commitment, relationship satisfaction, self-esteem, or attachment orientations.

A Little Reminder Is All It Takes: The Effects of Priming and Relational Self-construal on Responses to Partner Transgressions

When faced with a partner transgression, what causes an individual to avoid the temptation to respond in kind? We theorized that for those who incorporate their close relationships into their sense of self, priming a mental representation of their romantic partner would activate relationship-relevant cognitive–affective associations that would promote pro-relationship responding. Dating undergraduates (N = 140; 81 females) received either a partner or control prime and later completed a measure of relationship maintenance. Results demonstrated that participants with a highly relational self-construal exhibited an increase in benign attributions for a partner transgression following a relationship reminder, controlling for relationship satisfaction and commitment. It was concluded that relational self-construal is an important individual difference variable in the experimental activation of relationship maintenance processes.

Forgiveness increases the likelihood of subsequent partner transgressions in marriage.

Despite a growing literature on the positive implications of forgiveness and recent efforts to promote forgiveness in marriage, there is reason to believe forgiveness could have yet-unknown negative implications. In particular, forgiveness may increase the likelihood that offenders will offend again by removing unwanted outcomes for those offenders (e.g., criticism, guilt, loneliness) that would otherwise discourage them from reoffending. Consistent with this possibility, the current 7-day-diary study revealed that newlywed spouses were more likely to report that their partners had engaged in a negative behavior on days after they had forgiven those partners for a negative behavior than on days after they had not forgiven those partners for a negative behavior. Interpersonal theories and interventions designed to treat and prevent relationship distress may benefit by acknowledging this potential cost of forgiveness.

The Decision to Forgive: Sex, Gender, and the Likelihood to Forgive Partner Transgressions

Certain individuals may have a tendency to offer others forgiveness that is termed forgivingness. This study explored individuals' gender styles, sex, and their likelihood to forgive partner transgressions in romantic relationships. Results indicated feminine women and androgynous men were most likely to forgive partner transgressions. Thus, the interpersonal act of forgiving requires empathy, caring, understanding, and responsiveness as evidenced by self-report items on the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Also, men proved to be more forgiving than women of partner transgressions; however, men also reported experiencing less hurt than women when confronted with partner transgressions. This outcome may indicate that forgiveness is a complex process in which individuals consider many factors before they forgive others.

Communication Following Relational Transgressions in Dating Relationships: An Investment-Model Explanation

A short-term longitudinal study tested predictions from Rusbult's (1983) investment model. In phase one, individuals in dating relationships rated the quality of their alternatives, as well as their levels of satisfaction, investment, and commitment. In phase two, those who had experienced a relational transgression (sexual infidelity, deception, or third-party dating/flirting) since completing the first questionnaire recalled the communication they had used about a week or two after finding out about their partner's transgression. In phase one, the bases of dependence—satisfaction, investment, and quality of alternatives—predicted commitment. These bases of dependence also predicted communication in phase two. Contrary to some previous work, commitment did not mediate the association between the bases of dependence and communication. Instead, results suggested that the components comprising commitment are directly associated with communication following relational transgressions.

If-then contingencies and the differential effects of the availability of an attractive alternative on relationship maintenance for men and women.

In 7 experiments, the causal effects of the availability of an attractive alternative (AA) relationship partner on current relationship thoughts and intentions were tested using confederates, mental simulations, and virtual reality. Men behaved consistent with traditional relationship-commitment theories, showing decreased willingness to tolerate their partner's transgressions after the availability of an AA was made salient. However, consistent with a motivated cognition approach to commitment and work on relational self-construals, women increased their tolerance when presented with the relationship threat of an alternative. Word-fragment and lexical decision data suggested that AAs may activate threat for women, and their ability to dampen threat accessibility is associated with prorelationship responses. Finally, this "if relationship is threatened, then defend the relationship" contingency was induced in men with an implementation intention induction.

Mate Value Discrepancy as Predictor of Forgiveness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships

Mate value discrepancy (MVD), the perceived difference in resource value between self and partner in romantic relationships, may impact both forgiveness and jealousy. One hundred seventy-nine participants rated their own and their partner's mate value, and self-reported forgiveness and jealousy. MVD was associated with forgiveness in romantic relationships in that the higher the value of one's mate in relation to self, the more likely an individual would forgive that partner's transgression. Similarly, MVD played a role with jealousy in that the higher the value of the partner, the more likely an individual experienced jealousy. Additionally, individuals were more likely to forgive transgressions when their partners had higher mate values than theirs, even when jealousy is experienced.