Self-Respect and pro-relationship behavior in marital relationships

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Kumashiro, Madoka; Finkel, Eli J. and Rusbult, Caryl. 2002. Self-Respect and pro-relationship behavior in marital relationships. Journal of Personality, 70(6), pp. 1009-1050. ISSN 00223506 [Article]

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.05030

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This work advances an interdependence theoretic analysis of the role of self-respect in ongoing close relationships. Self-respect is defined as the tendency to perceive the self as a principled person who is worthy of honor and high regard and is argued to rest on moral integrity. Consistent with predictions, results from a study of marital relationships revealed that individual self-respect is positively associated with both the individual's and the partner's pro-relationship behavior (accommodation, forgiveness, conciliation). Mediation analyses revealed that self-respect not only exhibits direct associations with each person's behavior, but also exhibits indirect associations with each person's behavior, via the impact of each person's actions on reciprocal pro-relationship behavior from the partner. Mediation was more reliably observed for the association of self-respect with partner behavior than for the association with individual behavior. Both individual pro-relationship behavior and partner pro-relationship behavior are positively associated with couple well-being, which in turn is positively associated with personal well-being (life satisfaction, physical health, psychological adjustment). These associations were evident in both within-participant and across-partner analyses and for both self-report and interaction-based measures of behavior. Self-respect reliably accounts for unique variance beyond variance attributable to self-esteem.

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Article

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https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.05030