Complementarity in Romantic Relationships: A Self-Evaluation Maintenance Perspective

Abstract

Three studies were conducted to extend the Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model to romantic relationships. Subjects in all three studies indicated the importance of sixty-eight activities to themselves and, in Studies 2 and 3, to their partners. For activities that were relevant to subjects' self-definitions, a comparison effect emerged; subjects reported outperforming their partners. When self-relevance was low, a reflection effect emerged; subjects reported being outperformed by their partners. Subjects' reports also showed `empathic' comparison and reflection processes for their partners. These effects were strongest when relevance was high for one partner and low for the other; when partners' self-definitions were similar, the SEM processes were attenuated. These effects persisted even when the reports of both partners were considered (Study 3). The findings are discussed in the framework of the complementarity hypothesis, and implications for both the SEM model and the complementarity hypothesis are considered.