We Are Together,but How Much Are We Truly ‘We’?: A Dyadic Approach With Turkish Emerging Adults

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of romantic relationships among Turkish emerging adults, with a focus on the concept of “we-ness”—a shared sense of identity within a couple. The research employs the investment model, focusing on the mediator role of commitment in the association between the bases of dependence (satisfaction, quality of alternatives, investment size) and we-ness. Participants included 149 couples (n = 298) aged 18–29. Investment Model Scale and the We-ness Questionnaire were used to collect the data. Results of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) revealed no partner effects but actor effects, particularly highlighting that women’s and men’s relationship satisfaction strongly predicted their commitment and we-ness. Furthermore, commitment was found to mediate the association between relationship satisfaction and we-ness for men. Understanding these factors has practical implications for couple counseling, suggesting the need for tailored interventions that consider gender-specific commitment patterns and the developmental context of emerging adults.

Keywords

relationship satisfaction quality of alternatives investment size commitment we-ness

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agnew

C. R.

Van Lange

P. A. M.

Rusbult

C. E.

Langston

C. A.

(1998). Cognitive interdependence: Commitment and the mental representation of close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(4), 939–954. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.4.939

Alea

Singer

J. A.

Labunko

(2015). We-ness” in relationship-defining memories and marital satisfaction. In Couple resilience: Emerging perspectives (pp. 163–177). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Arbuckle

J. L.

(2009). Amos 18.0. Small Waters. [Computer software].

Arnett

J. J.

(2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469

Arnett

J. J.

Mitra

(2020). Are the features of emerging adulthood developmentally distinctive? A comparison of ages 18–60 in the United States. Emerging Adulthood, 8(5), 412–419. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818810073

Arnett

J. J.

Žukauskienė

Sugimura

(2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18–29 years: Implications for mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(7), 569–576. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(14)00080-7

Aron

E. N.

(1986). Love as the expansion of self: Understanding attraction and satisfaction. Hemisphere.

Aron

E. N.

Tudor

Nelson

(1991). Close relationships as including other in the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(2), 241–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.2.241

Aron

Norman

C. C.

Aron

E. N.

(2001). Shared self-expanding activities as a means of maintaining and enhancing close romantic relationships. In Harvey

Wenzel

(Eds.), Close romantic relationships: Maintenance and enhancement (pp. 47–66). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

10.

Aron

Norman

C. C.

Aron

E. N.

McKenna

Heyman

R. E.

(2000). Couples’ shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.78.2.273

11.

Aron

Paris

Aron

E. N.

(1992). Fall in love, stay in love: Self-expansion and the experience of romantic love. Personal Relationships, 7(3), 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.6.1102

12.

Aydogan

Özgülük Üçok

S. B.

Randall

A. K.

(2024). Being one and staying two as a couple: Married couples’ sense of we-ness, psychological distress, and common dyadic coping in Türkiye. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 23(4), 282–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2024.2406812

13.

Bodenmann

(2005). Dyadic coping and its significance in marital functioning. In Revenson

T. A.

Kayser

Bodenmann

(Eds.), Couples coping with stress: Emerging perspectives on dyadic coping (pp. 33–49). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11031-002

14.

Buehlman

K. T.

Gottman

J. M.

Katz

L. F.

(1992). How a couple views their past predicts their future: Predicting divorce from an oral history interview. Journal of Family Psychology, 5(3-4), 295–318. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.5.3-4.295

15.

Büyükşahin

Hasta

Hovardaoğlu

(2005). İlişki İstikrarı Ölçeği: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [investment model scale: Validity and reliability study]. Türk Psikoloji Yazıları, 8(16), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.936498

16.

Büyükşahin

Hovardaoğlu

(2007). Yatırım modelinin bazı ilişkisel değişkenler yönünden incelenmesi [The investigation of investment model in terms of some relational variables]. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 22(59), 69–86.

17.

Byrne

B. M.

(2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (2nd ed.). Routledge.

18.

Byrne

B. M.

Stewart

S. M.

(2006). Teachers’ corner: The MACS approach to testing for multigroup invariance of a second-order structure: A walk through the process. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 13(2), 287–321. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328007sem1302_7

19.

Cheung

G. W.

Rensvold

R. B.

(2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 9(2), 233–255. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5

20.

Cohen

(1998). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

21.

Cook

W. L.

Kenny

D. A.

(2005). The actor–partner interdependence model: A model of bidirectional effects in developmental studies. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29(2), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650250444000405

22.

Cruwys

South

E. I.

Halford

K. W.

Murray

J. A.

Fladerer

M. P.

(2022). Measuring “we-ness” in couple relationships: A social identity approach. Family Process, 62(2), 795–817. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12811

23.

Eshghi

(2023). The impact of attachment and we-ness on the relationship satisfaction and mental health of Iranian-Canadian immigrant couples. [Unpublished PhD dissertation, York University].

24.

Fitzpatrick

Sollie

D. L.

(1999). Unrealistic gendered and relationship-specific beliefs: Contributions to investments and commitment in dating relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 16(6), 852–867. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407599166010

25.

Fuchs

N. A.

(2024). From ‘I’ to ‘We’? A test of the effect of I-sharing on we-ness in couples . [Unpublished Masters thesis, The University of Vermont].

26.

Goodfriend

Agnew

C. R.

(2008). Sunken costs and desired plans: Examining different types of investments in close relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(12), 1639–1652. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167208323743

27.

Göregenli

(1997). Individualist-collectivist tendencies in a Turkish sample. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 28(6), 787–794. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022197286009

28.

Greene

D. C.

Britton

P. J.

(2015). Predicting relationship commitment in gay men: Contributions of vicarious shame and internalized homophobia to the investment model. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 16(1), 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034988

29.

Hofstede

G. J.

(2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. McGraw-Hill.

30.

L. T.

Bentler

P. M.

(1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

31.

IBM Corp . (2016). IBM SPSS statistics for windows, version 24.0. IBM Corp. [Computer software].

32.

Imamoglu

E. O.

(1998). Individualism and collectivism in a model and scale of balanced differentiation and integration. Journal of Psychology, 132(1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223989809599268

33.

Impett

E. A.

Beals

K. P.

Peplau

L. A.

(2001-2002). Testing the investment model of relationship commitment and stability in a longitudinal study of married couples. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 20(4), 312–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-001-1014-3

34.

Jamison

T. B.

Sanner

(2021). Relationship form and function: Exploring meaning‐making in young adults' romantic histories. Personal Relationships, 28(4), 840–859. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12400

35.

Johnson

Cooper

Cartwright

Donald

Taylor

Millet

(2005). The experience of work-related stress across occupations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940510579803

36.

Karababa

(2025). Suppression of positive and negative emotions and loneliness among emerging adults: A moderated-mediation model of romantic relationship satisfaction and gender. Journal of Psychology, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2025.2466100

37.

Kashy

D. A.

Kenny

D. A.

(1999). The analysis of data from dyads and groups. In Reis

H. T.

Judd

C. M.

(Eds.), Handbook of research methods in social psychology (pp. 451–477). Cambridge University Press.

38.

Kelley

H. H.

Thibaut

J. W.

(1978). Interpersonal relationships: A theory of interdependence. John Wiley & Sons, INC.

39.

Kenny

D. A.

Kashy

D. A.

Cook

W. L.

(2006). Dyadic data analysis. Guilford Press.

40.

Kızılkaya

(2021). The role of attachment and conflict resolution styles on romantic relationship commitment of emerging adults: Investment model perspective. [Unpublished Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University].

41.

Knapp

M. L.

(1978). Social intercourse: From greetings to goodbye. Allyn & Bacon.

42.

Konstam

(2019). The romantic lives of emerging adults: Getting from I to we. Oxford University Press.

43.

Kumar

R. M.

Singh

R. M.

(2024). From strangers to spouses: Exploring dyadic effects of insecure attachment and responsiveness on we-ness in Indian arranged marriages. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 18(2), 155–173. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.12687

44.

Agnew

C. R.

(2003). Commitment and its theorized determinants: A meta-analysis of the investment model. Personal Relationships, 10(1), 37–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00035

45.

Ledermann

Macho

Kenny

D. A.

(2011). Assessing mediation in dyadic data using the actor-partner interdependence model. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 18(4), 595–612. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2011.607099

46.

Macher

(2013). Social interdependence in close relationships: The actor–partner-interdependence–investment model (API-IM). European Journal of Social Psychology, 43(1), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.1926

47.

Machia

L. V.

Agnew

C. R.

Arriaga

X. B.

(Eds.), (2020). Interdependence, interaction, and close relationships. Cambridge University Press.

48.

Mashek

D. J.

Aron

Boncimino

(2003). Confusions of self with close others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(3), 382–392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202250220

49.

Mattingly

B. A.

Lewandowski

G. W.

Jr. (2013). An expanded self is a more capable self: The association between self-concept size and self-efficacy. Self and Identity, 12(6), 621–634. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2012.718863

50.

Mattingly

B. A.

McIntyre

K. P.

Lewandowski

G. W.

(2020). Relationship-induced self-concept change: Theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. In Mattingly

B. A.

McIntyre

K. P.

Lewandowski

G. W.

Jr. (Eds.), Interpersonal relationships and the self-concept (pp. 1–19). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43747-3_1

51.

Maxwell

S. E.

Cole

D. A.

Mitchell

M. A.

(2011). Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation: Partial and complete mediation under an autoregressive model. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 46(5), 816–841. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2011.606716

52.

Meier

Milek

Mehl

M. R.

Nussbeck

F. W.

Neysari

Bodenmann

Horn

A. B.

(2021). I blame you, I hear you: Couples’ pronoun use in conflict and dyadic coping. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(11), 3265–3287. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211029721

53.

Mitchell

M. A.

Maxwell

S. E.

(2013). A comparison of the cross-sectional and sequential designs when assessing longitudinal mediation. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 48(3), 301–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2013.784696

54.

Norona

J. C.

Roberson

P. N. E.

Welsh

D. P.

(2017). “I learned things that make me happy, things that bring me down”: Lessons from romantic relationships in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Research, 32(2), 155–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558415605166

55.

Özgülük Üçok

S. B.

Aydogan

Topcu-Uzer

Randall

A. K.

(2024). Adaptation and validation of the we-ness questionnaire in a Turkish sample. Bartin University Journal of Faculty of Education, 13(1), 222–231. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1247631

56.

Özgülük Üçok

S. B.

Hatipoğlu-Sümer

(2023). Dual-career marriages: The interplay among dual-career lifestyle, satisfaction, relationship investments, and commitment. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 52(5), 939–954. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2023.2247546

57.

Preacher

K. J.

Hayes

A. F.

(2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891. https://doi.org/10.3758/brm.40.3.879

58.

Reid

D.W.

Ahmad

(2015). Identification with the Relationship as Essential to Marital Resilience: Theory, Application, and Evidence. In Skerrett

Fergus

(Eds.), Couple Resilience. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9909-6_8

59.

Reid

D. W.

Dalton

E. J.

Laderoute

Doell

F. K.

Nguyen

(2006). Therapeutically induced changes in couple identity: The role of we-ness and interpersonal processing in relationship satisfaction. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 132(3), 241–284. https://doi.org/10.3200/MONO.132.3.241-288

60.

Rusbult

C. E.

(1980). Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: A test of the investment model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16(1), 172–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(80)90007-4

61.

Rusbult

C. E.

(1983). A longitudinal test of the investment model: The development (and deterioration) of satisfaction and commitment in heterosexual involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(1), 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.1.101

62.

Rusbult

C. E.

Martz

J. M.

Agnew

C. R.

(1998). The investment model scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5(4), 357–387. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1998.tb00177.x

63.

Sacher

J. A.

Fine

M. A.

(1996). Predicting relationship status and satisfaction after six months among dating couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.2307/353374

64.

Sharabi

L. L.

Timmermans

(2021). Why settle when there are Plenty of Fish in the sea? Rusbult’s investment model applied to online dating. New Media & Society, 23(10), 2926–2946. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820937660

65.

Singer

J. A.

Labunko

Alea

Baddeley

J. L.

(2015). Mutuality and marital engagement – Type of union scale [ME (to US)]: Empirical support for a clinical instrument in couples therapy. In Skerrett

Fergus

(Eds.), Couple resilience (pp. 108–119). Springer.

66.

Skerrett

(2016). We-ness and the cultivation of wisdom in couple therapy. Family Process, 55(1), 48–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12162

67.

Sprecher

(1999). “I love you more today than yesterday”: Romantic partners’ perceptions of changes in love and related affect over time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(1), 46–53. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.1.46

68.

Stanley

S. M.

Rhoades

G. K.

Whitton

S. W.

(2010). Commitment: Functions, formation, and the securing of romantic attachment. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2(4), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-2589.2010.00060.x

69.

Stanley

S. M.

Whitton

S. W.

Markman

H. J.

(2004). Maybe I Do. Journal of Family Issues, 25(4), 496–519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X03257797

70.

Topcu-Uzer

Randall

A. K.

Vedes

A. M.

Reid

Bodenmann

(2021). We-ness questionnaire: Development and validation. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 20(3), 256–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2020.1805082

71.

Tran

Judge

Kashima

(2019). Commitment in relationships: An updated meta-analysis of the investment model. Personal Relationships, 26(1), 158–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12268

72.

Vandenberg

R. J.

Lance

C. E.

(2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 3(1), 4–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442810031002

73.

Wickham

R. E.

Knee

C. R.

(2012). Interdependence theory and the actor–partner interdependence model: Where theory and method converge. Personality and Social Psychology Review: An Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc, 16(4), 375–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868312447897

74.

Wiik

K. A.

Bernhardt

Noack

(2009). A study of commitment and relationship quality in Sweden and Norway. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), 465–477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.0061

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.10 MB