Chapter 6

Question 1

What is personality?

Answer 1

The characteristics that make you who you are, distinct from everyone else

stable over time, consistent across situations, internal coherence for the individual

Question 2

What are the big 5 personality traits?

Answer 2

negative affectivity
extraversion
openness
agreeableness
conscientiousness

Question 3

What is negative affectivty/neurotiscism?

Answer 3

Inclination to experience unpleasant emotions

effect of neuroticism does not change whether one or both partners are highly neurotic

Question 4

What is extraversion?

Answer 4

Preference for social interaction and lively activity

Question 5

What is openness?

Answer 5

receptiveness to new ideas, approaches, and experiences

Question 6

What is agreeableness?

Answer 6

Selfless concern for others; generous, trusting

Question 7

What is conscientiousness?

Answer 7

Degree of discipline and organization

Question 8

What is negative affectivity/neuroticism? What does it predict?

Answer 8

a personality trait characterized by a tendency to experience negative emotions like anxiety, anger, and sadness

observing neurotic behaviours in children as young as 3 years old (temper tantrums, anxious, mood swings) predicts lower relationship quality as an adult

people with higher neuroticism interpret their partner’s behaviours more negatively

interpretations are more stable and rigid over time

interactions in problem solving are more negative with higher neuroticism

the effect of neuroticism does not change whether one or both partners are highly neurotic

Question 9

How does negative affectivity impact relationships?

Answer 9

influences self esteem

has rank order stability over time (the degree to which individuals maintain their relative position on a trait within a group over time, even if the average level of that trait in the group changes), although people do have intraindividual growth in self-esteem

contributes to relationship functioning, both through behaviour and through perceptions of the partner’s behaviour

dependency regulation model

Question 10

What is the dependency regulation model?

Answer 10

explains how people manage their need for intimacy in a relationship to protect themselves from potential rejection

1) personal experience of low self-esteem
2) leads individual to underestimate the partner’s positive feelings for them and their relationship
3) causing them to devalue the partner, to feel hurt and neglected, and to express their discontent
4) leading them and the partner to be pessimistic and unsatisfied in the relationship, further reinforcing personal experience of low self esteem

Question 11

Can personality change?

Answer 11

to a degree, yes

when people start a new intimate relationship, their conscientiousness, extraversion, and self-esteem increase and neuroticism and shyness decrease

being in a GOOD relationship leads to more extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness and less neuroticism

however, there is more stability than change in personality and its effect on partnerships is stronger than the reverse

Question 12

Of all relationship types, which one has the most pronounced effect on personality?

Answer 12

Partnerships

Question 13

What is the experiment and conclusions of the experiment tied to the question, if we change personality, do relationships improve?

Answer 13

participants received a 4 week intervention to change their personality via a smartphone app

increase extraversion, conscientiousness, or emotional stability (a piece of neuroticism)

only those who improved their emotional stability also increase their satisfaction with their sexual (intimate) relationship

modest changes were observed in both personality and changes in satisfaction, but provides promising evidence on ways to improve partnerships - focus on emotional regulation

Question 14

The dependence regulation model highlights what?

Answer 14

The tension between two goals in relationships: we want to be close to our partners, but we also want to protect ourselves from the possibility of being hurt

Question 15

Much of what we know about how intimate relationships work is through what?

Answer 15

interactions between our parents

Question 16

What is intergenerational transmission?

Answer 16

parent’s relationship patterns are related to children’s later relationship patterns

such as, children with divorced parents are more likely to later divorce. Supported by research

Question 17

What behaviours from parents are passed down to children’s relationships?

Answer 17

hostility and aggression between parents are particularly likely to be passed on to children’s romantic relationships (accusing, blaming, threatening)

positive engagement and warmth also passed down (helpfulness, sensitivity)

Question 18

Why are parental relationship dynamics transmitted?

Answer 18

social learning theory. learned early, then replicated in relationships

Question 19

How might parental divorce or dissolution affect children?

Answer 19

children of divorce tend to experience worse outcomes on a variety of domains

academic achievement - repeating a grade skipping school

mental health - lower self esteem, higher depression, substance us

social risks - early sexual intercourse (prior to age 16), greater number of sexual partners, early cohabitation with a partner (as a teenager)

Question 20

What percentage of children experience adverse effects from divorced and intact families?

Answer 20

20-30%

10-15%

children from intact marriages also can suffer

Question 21

What logistical challenges might divorce present into children’s lives?

Answer 21

financial hardship often accompanies divorce

coordination of family functions/holidays

less time with one or both parents

not just divorce, but also the quality of the parental relationship over time

Question 22

If a divorce occurs, does the quality of the relationship between the ex-spouses mitigate the impact of the divorce?

Answer 22

In a good divorce, a family with children remains a family. The parents continue to be responsible for the needs of their children. The foundation is that ex-spouses develop a parenting partnership that is sufficiently cooperative to permit the bonds of kindship

Question 23

What are three categories of divorced parents?

Answer 23

cooperative parenting: good relationship between exes and frequent contact with child

parallel parenting: no relationship between exes and little communication or collaboration

single parenting: high conflict between exes with no collaboration or communication

Question 24

What could be observed in children in cooperative parenting clusters?

Answer 24

fewer behaviour problems and had higher quality relationships with fathers

did not differ form other groups in terms of self-esteem, grades, enjoying school, substance use, life satisfaction, early sexual activity, etc.

Question 25

What helps the children in a divorce?

Answer 25

Children having frequent contact with both parents parents not putting children into middle of their conflicts parents initiating procedures to solidify decision making process around divorce even in good marriages, many couples consider divorce within divorcing couples, 25% believe their marriage could be saved 30% would be interested in reconciliation services

Question 26

Family of origin influences cluster around which domains?

Answer 26

behaviour: interaction within the family influences how children later interact with their romantic partners beliefs: experiencing parental separation or low-quality parental marriage is related to a more pessimistic view of relationships (more cautious of commitment and marriage and more accepting of divorce) personal characteristics (self-esteem and attachment style, as examples)

Question 27

Does family solely determine outcomes of a romantic relationship?

Answer 27

No. Even though family plays a role in later romantic relationships, it does not solely determine outcomes

Question 28

How might the impact of insecurities on relationships be reduced?

Answer 28

deepening self-affirmation: identify a value that is personally meaningful adopt your partner's perspective - describe in detail, a day in the life of your partner elaborating on a compliment: think about a time your partner complimented you, explain why they admired you

Question 29

Has there been any research examining dynamics in relationships across multiple partnerships?

Answer 29

almost no research

Question 30

What is the pathway of relationship I to relationship II?

Answer 30

relationship, relationship deterioration, relationship termination relationship initiation (honeymoon period), disillusionment, relationship stability (in attachment, satisfaction, IPV, infidelity) we anticipate eventual stability across partnerships, but anticipate stability is interrupted by periods of change

Question 31

What are constructs that exhibited eventual stability?

Answer 31

relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, perceived instability, conflict, self-disclosure, admiration (marginally significant change)

Question 32

Is there change in sexual frequency among two relationships?

Answer 32

small frequency dies down a little bit in one relationship

Question 33

What is most consistently predicted for decline across P1 and P2?

Answer 33

neuroticism. but was not associated with change between partner 1 and partner 2 nor in P2

Question 34

What is the developmental effect of neuroticism?

Answer 34

bears most influence as a partnership is ending not influential during relationship initiation

Question 35

Why does it seem like a new partnership differs from those in the past?

Answer 35

sandwiched between periods of stability is much change a partnership sours prior to dissolution new love brings great bliss before we are pulled back to old patterns and we may end not far from where we once were

Question 36

Does sexual frequency and admiration go higher in a new partnership?

Answer 36

Yes, although sexual satisfaction is stable even though frequnecy increases