Couple Identity Gaps, the Management of Conflict, and Biological and Self-Reported Stress in Romantic Relationships

Abstract

This study investigates the role of couple identity gaps in romantic partners' communicative and physiological management of stress during a conflict‐inducing discussion task. A total of 118 couples participated in a laboratory study in which they engaged in a conflict‐inducing discussion. Perceptions of intra‐ and extrarelationship couple identity gaps were associated with greater self‐reported anxiety and stress for men and greater negativity for women during the conversation. Extrarelationship identity gaps were also significantly associated with heightened cortisol and (salivary alpha‐amylase) sAA reactivity and delayed recovery, especially for women. The study extends the research on couple identity by introducing the concept of identity gaps into relational contexts to help explain why couples vary in their ability to manage stress.

Struggling Together: Examining the Narratives of Interdependence and Healing Within Romantic Relationships After Stroke

“…Changes in interdependence, then, may contribute to shifts in relational identity. Research suggests that discrepancies in a couple’s relational identity may be associated with greater negativity and stress for partners (Merrill & Afifi, 2017). As such, exploring the mechanism by which identity shifts may be useful for understanding how couples manage stressful events.…”

Trusting on the Shoulders of Open Giants? Open Science Increases Trust in Science for the Public and Academics

“…Then, participants were presented with four journal abstracts, all of which showed recently published articles with their titles, author names, and abstract text as they appear in typical online research articles (yet the title, author name, and the contents of the abstracts were hypothetical). We adapted and modified abstracts from the target journals as stimuli (e.g., Coronel et al, 2021;Merrill & Afifi, 2017;Oliver & Raney, 2011;Skurka et al, 2018;Wirth, Hofer, Schramm, 2012) to create ecologically valid stimuli.…”

Communication Accommodation and Identity Gaps as Predictors of Relational Solidarity in Interfaith Family Relationships

“…The personal-relational identity gap occurs when there is a discrepancy between one's self-concept and the identities ascribed to them by others, such as when an individual's family assumes she adheres to the family's religious identity when she does not. Identity gaps are consistently associated with negative individual and relational outcomes, such as depression (Jung & Hecht, 2008), increased physiological reactions to stress (Merrill & Afifi, 2017), and decreased relationship satisfaction (Kennedy-Lightsey, Martin, LaBelle, & Weber, 2015).…”