Psychology 137C: Psychology 137C: Intimate RelationshipsIntimate Relationships Week 4, Lecture 1: Week 4, Lecture 1:

Individual DifferencesIndividual Differences

RemindersReminders:: The midterm is next Friday.

50 multiple choice questions, covering everything so far.

Review session in this room after class next Wednesday.

Sample questions will be distributed early next week.

Why Study Individuals?Why Study Individuals?

No one enters relationships as a No one enters relationships as a blank slate.blank slate.

People differ from each other.People differ from each other.

These differences affect These differences affect relationships and how they develop.relationships and how they develop.

How Do Individuals Vary?How Do Individuals Vary?

Traits

Experiences

Personality Traits: Basic Personality Traits: Basic PremisePremise

“… a large proportion of incompatible marriages are so because of a predisposition to unhappiness in one or both of the spouses. Whether by nature or by nurture, there are persons so lacking in the qualities which make for compatibility that they would be incapable of finding happiness in any marriage” (Terman et al., 1938, pp. 110-111).

Lewis Terman

1877-1956

Traits in the ‘Big Five’ Model

Costa and McCrae, 1985

Classic Study: Kelly and Conley Classic Study: Kelly and Conley (1987)(1987)

300 couples recruited between 1935 and 1938. Data collected in 1954-1955 and again in 1980.

At the first assessment, five acquaintances rated each person’s personality.

Spouses provided reports of divorce or how happy they were in the marriage at 3 times, yielding 3 groups: Below mean on all measures at all times

(17) No consistent pattern of distress (110) Divorced (50)

Results for WomenResults for Women

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Happy Unhappy Divorced

NeuroticismImpulse Control

Kelly & Conley, 1987, Table 8

Results for MenResults for Men

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Happy (110) Unhappy (17) Divorced (50)

NeuroticismImpulse Control

Kelly & Conley, 1987, Table 8

Why Is Neuroticism A Why Is Neuroticism A Problem? Problem?

One common correlate of Neuroticism is Self-Esteem.

The Dependency Regulation Model

Why do people with low self-esteem have worse intimate relationships on average?

Sandra Murray John Holmes

Poor Self Regard

Assume others Agree

Devalue Partner

Express Discontent

Relationship Falters

Why is Personality Why is Personality Stable?Stable?

Cumulative continuity

Interactional continuity

Personal HistoryPersonal History

What happens to you before the relationship affects what happens in the relationship.

What sorts of experiences do you think matter most?

Early childhood experiences and intergenerational transmission effects

Key QuestionsKey Questions

What is the association between your parents’ relationship (G1) and your own relationship outcomes (G2)?

If there is intergenerational continuity in relationship functioning, how does it come about?

Is there an association Is there an association between G1 and G2 between G1 and G2

Relationships?Relationships? Yes. G1 divorce increases risk of G2

divorce, by about 70% in first 5 years of marriage (Bumpass et al., 1991).

G1 discord predicts G2 discord, even over 17 years (Amato & Booth, 2001).

Divorce is more detrimental on G2 when it happens earlier and when it is abrupt and unexpected.

More caution toward marriage, more acceptance of divorce Equally motivated to form partnerships, but

pessimistic about marriage as the way to do this. More likely to contemplate divorce, compared to

offspring from intact marriages who are equally unhappy

Fewer economic and interpersonal resources More likely to drop out, less likely to go to

college Weaker family relationships, even later in life

More maladaptive cognitions and behaviors

WhyWhy do our parents’ do our parents’ relationships matter?relationships matter?

Closing ThoughtsClosing Thoughts

So why do individual differences matter to relationships?

From individual differences to behavior