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Partner-Idealization and Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Communication Patterns

Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology / Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, (P)1229-0653;
2018, v.32 no.1, pp.65-81
https://doi.org/10.21193/kjspp.2018.32.1.004




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Abstract

The aim of the present research was to examine whether partner-idealization (i.e., perceiving one's partner more closely to one's ideal partner than partner's own self-perception) is related to one's own and the partner's marital satisfaction and to explore the role of communication patterns (constructive communication, husband demand-wife withdraw, and wife demand-husband withdraw) in that process. Seventy-eight married couples rated themselves, their partner, and an ideal partner on interpersonal qualities, and responded to measures of communication patterns and marital satisfaction. The results showed that for both husbands and wives, higher partner-idealization was related to one's own and the partner's greater marital satisfaction. We also found that either partner's partner-idealization was related to wife's report of more constructive communication, which in turn was related to both partners' greater marital satisfaction. The positive relation between wife's partner-idealization and her own marital satisfaction was mediated by low wife-perceived husband demand-wife withdraw and wife demand-husband withdraw patterns. The positive relation between wife's partner-idealization and husband’s marital satisfaction was mediated by low wife-perceived wife demand-husband withdraw pattern. Taken together, individuals who idealized their partner or were idealized by their partner were more satisfied in their relationship, and how wives came to perceive the communication patterns played an important role in this process. We discussed the implications of this study for the short- and long-term effects of partner perceptions on marital satisfaction.

keywords
idealization, positive illusions, romantic relationship, marital satisfaction, conflict communication, 이상화, 긍정적 환상, 연인관계, 결혼만족도, 갈등 의사소통

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Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology