Relationship-contingent Self-esteem Research Articles

Because no one wants to die alone: Relationship initiation and dissolution behaviors associated with the fear of being single

Here we replicate previous work on the fear of being single (FBS), personality, attachment, and relationship-contingent self-esteem, and also examine whether those with high FBS attempt to initiate romantic relationships more frequently and are more motivated by continued romantic attraction to remain friends with ex-partners than others. In line with prior work, FBS was positively associated with anxious attachment, relationship-contingent self-esteem, and emotionality. FBS was negatively associated with relationship initiation behaviors. Similarly, single men were more likely to attempt to initiate a romantic relationship with an opposite-sex friend than were single women, particularly if they were low in FBS. Although FBS was not associated with whether or not an individual remains friends with ex-partners, there was an association between FBS and continued romantic attraction as a motivator behind these friendships.

Does Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem Play a Role in the Stress to Impaired Control Pathway to Alcohol-Related Problems in a College Student Sample?

The Appraisal-Disruption Model (ADM) suggests that individuals use alcohol as a means of dampening negative self-talk. Relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) emerges from validating one's self-esteem depending on one's romantic relationship(s) and is known to predict alcohol-related problems. We hypothesized that RCSE indirectly predicts drinking outcomes through the mediating mechanism(s) of stress and impaired control over alcohol (IC; drinking to excess beyond one's own intentions). We fit a multiple-group structural equation model with self-report survey data from 479 college students. We used a 20,000 bootstrap technique to examine possible mediated pathways. Consistent with evolutionary theory, our model was moderated by sex: more variance in alcohol-related problems was explained for women (R2 = 0.479) than for men (R2 = 0.280). RCSE was directly linked to more stress. Furthermore, higher levels of RCSE were indirectly linked to more IC through increased stress, and in turn, more heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems for both men and women. Consistent with the ADM, those with higher levels of RCSE experienced more stress and, in turn, more IC and subsequent adverse alcohol outcomes. Thus, therapists targeting alcohol use disorders (AUDs) may wish to determine if their client's self-esteem changes dramatically based on their moment-to-moment appraisal of their intimate relationships.

Does the Glass Slipper Fit?

Abstract. This study is a cross-sectional survey investigating the links between viewing Disney princess films and reports of romantic beliefs, relationship-contingent self-esteem, and attitudes relating to masculine courtship strategies. Results from the survey of 438 undergraduate students indicate a positive association between viewing Disney princess films and reports of relationship-contingent self-esteem, particularly for men, and endorsement of masculine strategies about courtship. Findings are discussed in the context of cultivation and social cognitive theory.

The Role of Mating-relevant Factors in the Perpetration of Digital Dating Abuse.

Previous research has explored offline intimate partner violence from an evolutionary perspective, primarily focusing on the role of individual differences in perpetration and victimization. However, a current form of intimate partner violence is digital dating abuse, which involves abuse toward a romantic partner, occuring online through the use of electronic communication technology. This form of abuse differs from offline abuse, in that physical proximity is not required. Although research has focused on the effects digital dating abuse has on victims, little research has focused on the perpetration of digital dating abuse. This is important as research focused on perpetration can inform a wide range of initiatives geared toward understanding the factors which drive this behavior. Recent research has focused on evolutionary mating-relevant factors that drive the perpetration of digital dating abuse. Here, we extended and replicated previous work by reporting two studies (study 1, n = 114; study 2, n = 162) which explored the roles of mate value discrepancy, intrasexual competition, and relationship-contingent self-esteem in the perpetration of digital dating abuse. We found that mate value discrepancy (studies 1 and 2) and intrasexual competition (study 2) positively predicted the perpetration of digital dating abuse. To our knowledge, this article is the first to provide support that those who report high intrasexual competition, engage in greater levels of digital dating abuse, thus furthering theoretical advancements in this field by showing digital dating abuse is a mate retention tactic. Our findings further our understanding of online behavior in romantic relationships through an evolutionary psychological lens.

The impact of relationship‐contingent self‐esteem on mate retention and reactions to threat

Relationship‐contingent self‐esteem (RCSE) refers to when feelings of self‐worth are derived from romantic relationships. RCSE influences views of the self and the functioning of romantic relationships. The relationship between RCSE and mate retention behaviors was examined across three studies. Study 1 examined whether self‐esteem level and RCSE predicted mate retention behaviors. Studies 2 and 3 examined whether self‐esteem level and RCSE predicted mate retention behaviors following manipulations of threat to the relationship. Individuals with high RCSE were more likely to engage in benefit‐provisioning mate retention behaviors, particularly following certain threats. RCSE was also associated with cost‐inflicting mate retention behaviors, but these associations were inconsistent.

The narrative psychology of love lives

Narrative identity is an internal and evolving story about the self. Individual differences in narrative identity have been found to correspond with several important constructs (e.g., well-being, health behaviors). Here, we examined the nature and correlates of participants’ love life narrative identities. In Study 1, participants provided autobiographical narratives from their love lives and rated their personality traits and authenticity within the romantic domain. In Study 2, participants again provided narratives from their love lives and completed measures assessing their attachment tendencies and relationship contingent self-esteem. Narratives were coded for agency, communion, redemptive imagery, contaminated imagery, affective tone, and integrative complexity. Across our studies, the communion and positive tone in participants’ love life narratives was associated with certain traits, authenticity, attachment tendencies, and relationship contingent self-esteem. These results suggest that love life narrative identity represents a promising construct in the study of functioning within the romantic domain.

Romantic Parasocial Attachments and the Development of Romantic Scripts, Schemas and Beliefs among Adolescents

ABSTRACTFrom the Beatles to One Direction, adolescent crushes on media figures have fueled media industry success throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Adolescent girls turn to these media figures to practice romantic relationships via parasocial (perceived, mediated) attachments. This study examines recalled adolescent romantic parasocial attachments as they relate to the development of scripts, schemas, and normative beliefs about romance. In a survey of college women, more intense recalled romantic parasocial attachments in adolescence were associated with increased relationship-contingent self-esteem, increased negative evaluations of sexual experience, and an increased likelihood of experiencing passionate love. This analysis argues that parasocial romantic attachments are a common aspect of adolescent development, with potential implications for sexual socialization.

Past and present, day by day: Communication with former romantic partners, relationship-contingent self-esteem, and current relationship outcomes

In an effort to illuminate factors delineating when communication with former romantic partners can be beneficial versus detrimental, this work examines how communication affects both the current and former relationships, and whether these associations vary as a function of one’s self-worth being tied to the relationship (i.e., relationship-contingent self-esteem, RCSE). Over three weeks, undergraduates in relationships who regularly communicated with a former partner (N=46) completed nightly measures of former partner communication and satisfaction with current and former relationships. Results indicated that among those higher in RCSE, communication with former partners undermined current relationship satisfaction and bolstered former relationship satisfaction, patterns not evident among those lower in RCSE. For some, communication with former partners can be problematic for the current relationship.

Presenting Different Selves to Different People: Self-Presentation as a Function of Relationship Type and Contingent Self-Esteem

ABSTRACTPast work has established a connection between self-esteem and self-presentation; however, research has not explored how self-esteem that is contingent on one's relationship may influence self-presentational tactics in that relationship. Across two studies, undergraduate students reported on the extent to which their self-esteem depended on their friendship and romantic relationship, as well as the extent to which they engaged in self-presentation behaviors in those relationships. The results suggest that relationship-specific contingent self-esteem predicts relationship-specific self-presentation; however, friendship-contingent self-esteem predicted self-presentation in both friendships and romantic relationships. These results suggest that individuals are keenly and differentially attuned to qualitatively different relationships, and when perceiving potential problems, they attempt to remedy those through their self-presentations. Furthermore, results indicate the possibility that self-esteem tied to a particular relationship may not be as important as self-esteem based more generally on one's relationships.

The green eyed monster in the bottle: Relationship contingent self-esteem, romantic jealousy, and alcohol-related problems

Previous research suggests that both jealousy and relationship contingent self-esteem (RCSE) are related to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. No work, however, has examined these two constructs together as they relate to motives for alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. The current study aims to build upon emerging literature examining different types of jealousy (i.e., emotional, cognitive, and behavioral), relationship quality (i.e., satisfaction, commitment, closeness), RCSE, and alcohol use. More specifically, the current study aimed to examine the associations between RCSE and drinking to cope and RCSE and alcohol-related problems, in the context of the different types of jealousy. Moreover, the current study aimed to assess whether the associations between RCSE, jealousy, and drinking outcomes vary as a function of relationship quality. Two hundred and seventy seven individuals (87% female) at a large southern university participated in the study. They completed measures of RCSE, relationship satisfaction, commitment, closeness, and jealousy as well as alcohol-related outcomes. Using PROCESS, moderated mediational analyses were used to evaluate different types of jealousy as mediators of the association between RCSE and drinking to cope/alcohol-related problems. Further, we aimed to examine whether relationship quality moderated the association between RCSE and jealousy in predicting alcohol-related variables. Results indicated that cognitive jealousy mediated the association between both RCSE and drinking to cope and RCSE and alcohol-related problems. Further, relationship satisfaction, commitment, and closeness were all found to moderate the association between RSCE and cognitive jealousy such that at lower, but not higher levels of satisfaction, commitment, and closeness, cognitive jealousy mediated the association between RCSE and drinking to cope and RCSE and alcohol-related problems.

Relationships can drive some to drink

How much and why individuals in romantic relationships drink alcohol may be a function of both personal and relational influences. The current research examined factors that predict vulnerability to health-related risky behavior (i.e., drinking to cope and drinking problems) in response to relationship difficulties. We consider the possibility that for individuals whose self-worth is contingently tied to the fluctuations of their relationship, feeling less satisfied may predict increased drinking problems; moreover, this may be mediated by drinking to cope. This study evaluated relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) as a moderator of the association between relationship satisfaction and coping motives, which was expected to predict alcohol problems in couples. Both members in committed relationships ( N = 78 dyads) reported relationship satisfaction, RCSE, drinking to cope motives, and alcohol problems in a cross-sectional survey. Actor–Partner Interdependence Model analyses revealed significant mediated moderation among men, such that higher RCSE interacted with lower relationship satisfaction to predict stronger coping motives, in turn predicting increased drinking problems. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Relationship-contingent self-esteem and the ups and downs of romantic relationships.

Relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE) emerges from perspectives on authenticity, need fulfillment, and relationship functioning and is an unhealthy form of self-esteem that depends on one's relationship. Four studies provided evidence of convergent, discriminant, incremental, and predictive validity for RCSE. Study 1 tested associations between RCSE and several conceptually related and unrelated constructs in multiple samples. In Study 2, the authors employed an event-contingent diary procedure to examine reports of self-esteem as a function of everyday relationship events. The association between event valence and changes in self-esteem became stronger with RCSE, and this interaction remained controlling for several parallel interactions by other constructs. Study 3 employed an interval-contingent diary procedure and found support for a mediation model in which the moderating role of RCSE largely occurred through momentary emotions, which in turn predicted momentary self-esteem. Study 4 sampled couples and found that partners who were both higher in RCSE felt more committed but not more satisfied or close.