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On Creating Deeper Relationship Bonds: Felt Understanding Enhances Relationship Identification
Emilie Auger1,2, Sabrina Thai3, Carolyn Birnie-Porter4
1McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|March 13, 2024
Summary
Feeling understood strengthens your self-concept by increasing relationship identification. This research shows that perceived understanding, especially from partners, is key to how central relationships feel to your identity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Self-Concept Research
Background:
- Relational experiences significantly influence an individual's self-concept.
- Understanding within relationships is a key factor in self-perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how feeling understood impacts self-concept and relationship identification.
- To differentiate the effects of feeling understood from acceptance and caring.
Main Methods:
- Four studies (N=945) employed person-perception, longitudinal, and experimental designs.
- Manipulated felt understanding through recalling instances and imagining partner's understanding.
- Examined relationship identification in friendships and romantic relationships.
Main Results:
- Perceived understanding by a partner increased relationship identification.
- Felt understanding, distinct from acceptance, reduced relationship identification when low.
- Reduced felt understanding led to decreased identification in friendships and romantic relationships.
Conclusions:
- Feeling understood is a crucial mechanism for enhancing relationship identification and shaping self-concept.
- Coherence may mediate the link between felt understanding and increased relationship identification.
- The degree to which individuals feel understood directly impacts their sense of self within relationships.
Keywords:
coherenceease-of-retrievalfelt understandingidentityinterpersonal relationshipsmeaning-in-lifeMore Related Videos
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