Shifting priorities: Effects of partners' goal conflict on goal adjustment processes and relationship quality in developing romantic relationships

Healthy Communities Research Institute, Department of Psychological Sciences
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  3. Shifting priorities: Effects of partners' goal conflict on goal adjustment processes and relationship quality in developing romantic relationships
Author(s)
Abstract
We investigated whether partners in newly developing romantic relationships adjust their goals when they experience conflict with the goals of their partner, and the consequences of goal conflict and goal adjustment. Fifty-nine newly dating couples (N = 118) reported on their goals at an initial session and again 3 months later. Multilevel models indicated that when people reported higher conflict between a goal and their partner's goals, they were more likely to stop pursuing as well as to devalue the importance of that particular goal over time. Furthermore, goal devaluing was associated with increases in relationship commitment over time but decreases in women's relationship satisfaction when their partners devalued conflicting goals. Overall levels of goal conflict were associated with marginal decreases in relationship satisfaction. These results indicate that romantic partners try to adjust their goals to reduce goal conflict even in developing relationships, and that these adjustments have consequences for relationship satisfaction and commitment.
Format
Article
Identifier(s)
10.1177/0265407517698851
Publication Date
2018-07
Publication Title
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
Volume
35
Issue
6
First Page
793
Last Page
810
Keywords
Subject
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Community
Healthy Communities Research Institute
Department of Psychological Sciences
Permalink https://oaks.kent.edu/hcri/shifting-priorities-effects-partners-goal-conflict-goal-adjustment-processes-and-relationship
Gere, J., & Impett, E. (2018). Shifting priorities: Effects of partners’ goal conflict on goal adjustment processes and relationship quality in developing romantic relationships (1–). Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407517698851
Gere, Judith, and Emily Impett. 2018. “Shifting Priorities: Effects of partners’ Goal Conflict on Goal Adjustment Processes and Relationship Quality in Developing Romantic Relationships”. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407517698851.
Gere, Judith, and Emily Impett. Shifting Priorities: Effects of partners’ Goal Conflict on Goal Adjustment Processes and Relationship Quality in Developing Romantic Relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, July 2018, https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407517698851.