Partner self-control and intrusive behaviors: A gender-specific examination of the mediating role of trust

Abstract

This research investigated the interplay between self-control, trust, and intrusive behaviors in heterosexual relationships. While past work mainly focused on actor self-control, we additionally considered the role of partner self-control in both men's and women's tendency to show intrusive behaviors. Specifically, we hypothesized that a lack of self-control in the partner elicits intrusive behaviors through low levels of trust in the partner. We collected data from 104 couples and 52 individuals (N = 260, M age = 35.11, SD age = 10.77) via a crowd-working platform. Analysis using an Actor Partner Interdependence Mediation Model with a bootstrapping method showed that trust mediated the association between partner self-control and intrusive behaviors. Additionally, actor self-control had a marginal indirect effect on intrusive behaviors through trust. The results were consistent across both genders. This research revealed that low levels of either actor or partner self-control are risk factors for privacy invasion in romantic relationships.

Purity is still a problem

“…Lie-Panis and show that, because ability to delay gratification enables higher levels of cooperation, it can evolve into a credible signal of trustworthiness. Psychological evidence confirms that, in interaction with strangers as well as in established relationships, people infer others' selfcontrol from their behavior, and expect individuals they perceive as more self-controlled to behave more cooperatively (Buyukcan-Tetik & Pronk, 2021;Buyukcan-Tetik, Finkenauer, Siersema, Vander Heyden, & Krabbendam, 2015;Gomillion, Lamarche, Murray, & Harris, 2014;Koval, VanDellen, Fitzsimons, & Ranby, 2015;Peetz & Kammrath, 2013;Righetti & Finkenauer, 2011). People's intuitions about a good moral character include traits arguably related to self-control, such as being principled or responsible Goodwin, Piazza, & Rozin, 2013).…”

Moral disciplining: The cognitive and evolutionary foundations of puritanical morality

“…Lie-Panis and André (2022) show that, because ability to delay gratification enables higher levels of cooperation, it can evolve into a credible signal of trustworthiness. Psychological evidence confirms that, in interaction with strangers as well as in established relationships, people infer others' self-control from their behavior, and expect individuals they perceive as more self-controlled to behave more cooperatively (Buyukcan-Tetik & Pronk, 2021; Buyukcan-Tetik, Finkenauer, Siersema, Vander Heyden, & Krabbendam, 2015; Gai & Bhattacharjee, 2022; Gomillion, Lamarche, Murray, & Harris, 2014; Koval, VanDellen, Fitzsimons, & Ranby, 2015; Peetz & Kammrath, 2013; Righetti & Finkenauer, 2011). People's intuitions about a good moral character include traits arguably related to self-control, such as being principled or responsible (Goodwin, 2015; Goodwin, Piazza, & Rozin, 2013).…”

Harmless bodily pleasures are moralized because they are perceived as reducing self-control and cooperativeness

“…Psychological evidence indeed shows that people perceive self-control as necessary for cooperative behavior, expect individuals with lower self-control to behave less cooperatively, and grant more trust to individuals perceived as more self-controlled (Buyukcan-Tetik et al, 2015;Buyukcan-Tetik & Pronk, 2021;Peetz & Kammrath, 2013;Righetti & Finkenauer, 2011). The intuition that self-control is necessary for cooperation appears somewhat justified, as cooperative behaviors often require renouncing the immediate rewards of cheating (e.g., immediate access to resources, sex, rest), this short-term cost being only repaid in the future by the benefits of others' reciprocations and a trustworthy reputation (Axelrod, 2006;Lie-Panis & André, 2021;Manrique et al, 2021;Roberts, 2020;Stevens et al, 2005;Stevens & Hauser, 2004).…”