Motivational aspects of relationship development of couples

Project 3: Motivational aspects of relationship development of couples and children

This study which forms a part of the larger Sinergia project „Impact of Stress on Relationship Development of Couples and Children: A Longitudinal Approach on Dyadic Development Across the Lifespan“ (PIs: Bodenmann,  Bradbury, Brandstätter, Martin, Nussbeck) intends to examine motivational predictors of close relationship functioning, the development of close relationships and the likelihood for separation and marital dissolution as well as the impact of close relationships on the well-being of children within a prospective longitudinal study including three cohorts (first cohort: couples aged 20-35 years; second cohort: couples aged 40-55 years, and third cohort: couples aged 65-80 years). Social interactions can be conceived as goal-directed and therefore motivated behavior. This theoretical perspective opens a wide avenue to the analysis of motivational, emotional, cognitive and behavioral processes in intimate relationships. A motivational analysis focuses on constructs of varying abstractness, that is, the high level construct of implicit motives, the medium level construct of explicit motives, and the lower level construct of relationship goals. All of these variables play a crucial role in self-regulation, stress experience, and well-being. More concretely, in three subprojects, we analyze (a) age differences in implicit motive strength, (b) the relationship between approach/avoidance relationship goals and verbal and nonverbal negative communication in real-time conversations between partners, and (c) the buffering effect of action orientation when experiencing stress in one's relationship.

Prof. Dr. Veronika Brandstätter

Dr. Katharina Bernecker

Dr. Mirjam Ghassemi Tabrizi

Charlotte Kukowski, MSc

Swiss National Science Foundation (CRSII1_147634/1): Sinergia Project „Impact of Stress on Relationship Development of Couples and Children: A Longitudinal Approach on Dyadic Development Across the Lifespan“ (Co-PI: Veronika Brandstätter)

Stiftung Suzanne und Hans Biäsch zur Förderung der Angewandten Psychologie (PI: Sabine Backes und Monika Kuster)

Bernecker, K., Ghassemi, M., & Brandstätter, V. (2018). Approach and avoidance relationship goals couples’ nonverbal communication during conflict. European Journal of Social Psychology, 49, 622–636. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2379

Denzinger, F., Backes, S., & Brandstätter, V. (2018). Same same but different: Similarity of goals and implicit motives in intimate relationships. Motivation Science, 4(1), 60-77. doi: 10.1037/mot0000064

Leuchtmann, L., Zemp, M., Milek, A., Nussbeck, F. W., Brandstätter, V., & Bodenmann, G. (2018). Role of clarity of other's feelings for dyadic coping. Personal Relationships, 25(1), 38-49. doi: 10.1111/pere.12226

Leuchtmann, L., Milek, A., Bernecker, K., Nussbeck, F. W., Backes, S., Martin, M., Zemp, M., Brandstätter, V., & Bodenmann, G. (2018). Temporal dynamics of couples’ communication behaviors in conflict discussions: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0265407518806582

Backes, S., Brandstätter, V., Kuster, M., Nussbeck, F. W., Bradbury, T. N., Bodenmann, G., & Sutter-Stickel, D. (2016). Who suffers from stress?: Action-state orientation moderates the effect of external stress on relationship satisfaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(6), 894-914. doi:10.1177/0265407516661045

Kuster, M., Backes, S., Brandstätter, V., Nussbeck, F. W., Bradbury, T. N., Sutter-Stickel, D., & Bodenmann, G. (2017). Approach-avoidance goals and relationship problems, communication of stress, and dyadic coping in couples. Motivation and Emotion, 41(5), 576-590. doi: 10.1007/s11031-017-9629-3

Zemp, M., Backes, S., & Brandstätter, V. (2017). The power motive and parenting style—Is incongruence related to inconsistency? Motivation Science, 3(4), 383. doi: 10.1037/mot0000057

Denzinger, F., Backes, S., Job, V., & Brandstätter, V. (2016). Age and gender differences in implicit motives. Journal of Research in Personality, 65, 52-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2016.09.003

Kuster, M., Bernecker, K., Backes, S., Brandstätter, V., Nussbeck, F. W., Bradbury, T. N., ... Bodenmann, G. (2015). Avoidance orientation and the escalation of negative communication in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109, 262-275. doi:10.1037/pspi0000025

Landis, M., Bodenmann, G., Bradbury, T. N., Brandstätter, V., Peter-Wight, M., Backes, S., Brandstätter, V. … Nussbeck, F. W. (2014). Commitment and dyadic coping in long-term relationships. GeroPsych: Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, 27(4), 139–149. doi:10.1024/1662-9647/a000112