Partner schemas and relationship functioning: a states of mind analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Relationship Science

Background:

• Relationship satisfaction is linked to cognitions like attributions and beliefs.
• Partner schemas, defined by positive and negative trait recall, offer a novel cognitive assessment.
• The States of Mind (SOM) model provides a framework for analyzing cognitive ratios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate partner schemas as a measure of relationship cognitions.
• To examine the association between the ratio of positive to positive-plus-negative partner schemas and relationship outcomes.
• To investigate the relationship between partner schemas and attributions for partner behavior.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the States of Mind (SOM) model to assess partner schemas.
• Measured partner schemas via self-ratings and recall of positive/negative trait adjectives.
• Analyzed data from 94 dating college students.

Main Results:

• A higher ratio of positive to positive-plus-negative partner schemas correlated positively with relationship satisfaction.
• This ratio was negatively associated with distress-maintaining attributions for partner behavior.
• Findings remained significant after controlling for depressive symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The ratio of positive to negative relationship cognitions, particularly views of a partner, is important for relationship functioning.
• Information-processing measures of cognition, like schema ratios, warrant further research in relationship science.
• Understanding cognitive patterns may enhance interventions for relationship difficulties.