Using interdependence and attachment theories, we examined the influence of attachment orientations on the association between relational sacrifices and relationship satisfaction. Romantic partners (N = 332) completed a one-time measure of attachment orientations and daily measures of relationship satisfaction and number and difficulty of relational sacrifices over 4–10 days. Difficulty of own and partner’s sacrifices was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, and own daily number of sacrifices was positively associated with relationship satisfaction. However, these associations were stronger for individuals lower in attachment anxiety (for own sacrifices) or avoidance (for partner’s sacrifices). The findings suggest that associations between relational sacrifice and relationship satisfaction are contingent on attachment orientations and that frequent, easy sacrifices might be most beneficial to relationships.
AntonucciT. C.LansfordJ. E.AkiyamaH. (2001). Impact of positive and negative aspects of marital relationships and friendships on well-being of older adults. Applied Developmental Science, 5, 68–75. doi:10.1207/S1532480XADS0502.
2.
AronA.AronE. N.SmollanD. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 596–612. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.4.596.
3.
BolgerN.DavisA.RafaeliE. (2003). Diary methods: Capturing life as it is lived. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 579–617.
4.
BolgerN.ZuckermanA.KesslerR. C. (2000). Invisible support and adjustment to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 953–961. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.79.6.953.
5.
BowlbyJ. (1951). Maternal care and mental health. Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
6.
BowlbyJ. (1973). Separation: Anxiety and anger. New York, NY: Basic Books.
7.
CollinsN. L.FeeneyB. C. (2000). A safe haven: An attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 1053–1073. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.78.6.1053.
8.
CollinsN. L.FeeneyB. C. (2004). Working models of attachment shape perceptions of social support: Evidence from experimental and observational studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 363–383. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.87.3.363.
9.
DuckS.RuttD. J.HurstM. H.StrejcH. (1991). Some evident truths about conversations in everyday relationships: All communications are not created equal. Human Communication Research, 18, 228–267.
10.
EtcheverryP. E.LeB. (2005). Thinking about commitment: Accessibility of commitment and prediction of relationship persistence, accommodation, and willingness to sacrifice. Personal Relationships, 12, 103–123. doi:10.1111/j.1350-4126.2005.00104.x.
11.
FeeneyB. C.CollinsN. L. (2001). Predictors of caregiving in adult intimate relationships: An attachment theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 972–994.
12.
FraleyR. C.ShaverP. R. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4, 132–154.
13.
GalloL. C.SmithT. W. (2001). Attachment style in marriage: Adjustment and responses to interaction. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 18, 263–289. doi:10.1177/0265407501182006.
14.
HelgesonV. S.FritzH. L. (1998). A theory of unmitigated communion. Personality & Social Psychology Review, 2, 173–183.
15.
ImpettE. A.GableS. L.PeplauL. A. (2005). Giving up and giving in: The costs and benefits of daily sacrifice in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 327–344.
16.
ImpettE. A.GordonA. M. (2008). For the good of others: Toward a positive psychology of sacrifice. In LopezS. J. (Ed.), Positive psychology: Exploring the best in people, Vol 2: Capitalizing on emotional experiences, Praeger perspectives (pp. 79–100). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
17.
KelleyH. H. (1979). Personal relationships: Their structures and processes. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
18.
KennyD. A.KashyD. A.CookW. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
19.
KunceL. J.ShaverP. R. (1994). An attachment-theoretical approach to caregiving in romantic relationships. In BartholomewK.PerlmanD. (Eds), Attachment processes in adulthood, (pp.337–343). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
20.
LakeyB.CassadyP. B. (1990). Cognitive processes in perceived social support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 337–343. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.59.2.337.
21.
LakeyB.MoineauS.DrewJ. B. (1992). Perceived social support and individual differences in the interpretation and recall of supportive behaviors. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 11, 336–348.
22.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
23.
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2009). An attachment and behavioral systems perspective on social support. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26, 7–19. doi:10.1177/0265407509105518.
24.
MurrayS. L.HolmesJ. G. (2009). The architecture of interdependent minds: A motivation-management theory of mutual responsiveness. Psychological Review, 116, 908–928. doi:10.1037/a0017015.
25.
PavotW.DienerE. (1993). The affective and cognitive context of self-reported measures of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 28, 1–20. doi:10.1007/BF01086714.
26.
PowellC.Van VugtM. (2003). Genuine giving or selfish sacrifice? The role of commitment and cost level upon willingness to sacrifice. European Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 403–412.
27.
RusbultC. E.ArriagaX. B. (1997). Interdependence theory. In DuckS. (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research and interventions (2nd ed.) (pp. 221–250). Cambridge, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
28.
RusbultC. E.ArriagaX. B.AgnewC. R. (2001). Interdependence in close relationships. In FletcherG.ClarkM. (Eds), The Blackwell handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2) (pp. 359–387). Oxford: Blackwell.
29.
RusbultC. E.Van LangeP. A. M. (2003). Interdependence, interaction and relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 351–375. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145059.
30.
ShaverP. R.MikulincerM. (2006). Attachment theory, individual psychodynamics, and relationship functioning. In VangelistiA. L.PerlmanD. (Eds), The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships (pp. 251–271). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
31.
SimpsonJ. A.WinterheldH. A.RholesW. S.OriñaM. M. (2007). Working models of attachment and reactions to different forms of caregiving from romantic partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 466–477. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.93.3.466.
32.
StanleyS. M.MarkmanH. J. (1992). Assessing commitment in personal relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family, 54, 595–608.
33.
StanleyS. M.WhittonS. W.SadberryS. L.ClementsM. L.MarkmanH. J. (2006). Sacrifice as a predictor of marital outcomes. Family Process, 45, 289–303. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2006.00171.x.
34.
SümerN.CozzarelliC. (2004). The impact of adult attachment on partner and self-attributions and relationship quality. Personal Relationships, 11, 355–371. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00087.x.
35.
TrebouxD.CrowellJ. A.WatersE. (2004). When “new” meets “old”: Configurations of adult attachment representations and their implications for marital functioning. Developmental Psychology, 40, 295–314.
36.
Van LangeP. A. M.AgnewC. R.HarinckF.SteemersG. E. M. (1997). From game theory to real life: How social value orientation affects willingness to sacrifice in ongoing close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1330–1344.
37.
Van LangeP. A. M.RusbultC. E.DrigotasS. M.ArriagaX. B.WitcherB. S.CoxC. L. (1997). Willingness to sacrifice in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1373–1395. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.6.1373.
38.
WeiM.RussellD. W.MallinckrodtB.VogelD. L. (2007). The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR)-short form: Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 88, 187–204.
39.
WhittonS. W.StanleyS. M.MarkmanH. J. (2002). Sacrifice in romantic relationships: An exploration of relevant research and theory. In VangelistiA. L.ReisH. T.FitzpatrickM. A. (Eds), Stability and change in relationships (pp. 156–181). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
40.
WhittonS. W.StanleyS. M.MarkmanH. J. (2007). If I help my partner, will it hurt me? Perceptions of sacrifice in romantic relationships. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 26, 64–92. doi:10.1521/jscp.2007.26.1.64.
41.
WieselquistJ.RusbultC. E.FosterC. A.AgnewC. R. (1999). Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 942–966. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.942.
