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Emotional Skillfulness in Marriage: Intimacy As a Mediator of the Relationship Between Emotional Skillfulness and Marital Satisfaction
Abstract
We tested the theory that emotional skillfulness, specifically the ability to identify and communicate emotions, plays a role in the maintenance of marital adjustment through its effects on the intimacy process. Ninety-two married couples completed measures of emotional skillfulness, marital adjustment, and intimate safety. As predicted, we found that the ability to identify and the ability to communicate emotions were associated with self and partner marital adjustment. Furthermore, the association between these emotion skills and marital adjustment was mediated by intimate safety for both husbands and wives. Gender differences were found in the ability to communicate emotions and in the association between the communication of emotions and partners' marital adjustment.
... Building on that, research shows that when people display a cold and distant interpersonal style, this kind of interpersonal style tends to be reciprocated, such that those who display coldness to others, receive coldness in return (Hopwood et al., 2013). Consequently, both partner's perceived relationship quality may be adversely affected (Cordova et al., 2005). Individuals with alexithymic characteristics tend to regulate their emotions in a dysfunctional and hostile way, characterized by lack of support and empathy. ...
... The difficulty to understand one's own's emotions, and in turn to self-disclose these emotions to the partner, undermines the development of intimacy between couple's members, and might lead to reduced relationship satisfaction (Eid & Boucher, 2012). Moreover, the ability to understand the feelings of one's partner and feel empathic with her/him, are critical for maintaining satisfactory relationships (Cordova et al., 2005). Alexithymic individuals tend to have greater difficulty understanding unpleasant feelings in others (Prkachin et al., 2009) and face problems in managing conflicts (Pérusse et al., 2012). ...
... Expectations driven by social norms may influence men to be emotionally distant and to hide their vulnerabilities, (Levant et al., 2009). Moreover, women tend to focus more on verbal communication to enhance intimacy (Cordova et al., 2005). ...
Objective: Attachment insecurities along with emotional processing difficulties, pose important risks on romantic relationships. This study aims to investigate possible associations and the interplay of alexithymia and attachment orientation on relationship quality in romantic couples. Methods: We used the actor–partner interdependence model and data from 56 heterosexual couples (N=112), who completed measures of attachment orientation, alexithymia and dyadic adjustment. Findings: Regression models indicated that both dimensions of attachment insecurity were associated with alexithymia and they consistently predicted lower relationship quality. Partner’s level of alexithymia moderated the relationship between attachment anxiety and dyadic adjustment. No significant interaction effects between attachment avoidance and alexithymia, were detected. Conclusion: The results point to the interdependent nature of emotional deficits and their effects on couple’s relationship quality. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.
... Smooth communication increases maturity in dealing with individual emotions, which develops into empathy in understanding the other person [29]. The higher the level of consensus, the higher the intimacy of the relationship. ...
... Jamieson stated that modern couples prefer the intimacy of sharing and empathizing with each other [54]. Intimacy also has a positive effect on marriage; for example, White et al. stated that intimacy is the basis of a happy marriage, and Cordova emphasized the importance of intimacy in maintaining marriage [29]. In addition, Greeff and Malherbe showed that intimacy and marital satisfaction are correlated [55], while Vannoy demonstrated that intimacy and divorce intention are correlated [56]. ...
This study examined strokes, marital intimacy, marital satisfaction, and divorce intentions among participants who are members of a couple, based on their leisure sports participation. We conducted a questionnaire survey with 321 participants. The validity and reliability were checked, and a multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to test for differences between groups. The results revealed that among couples engaging in the same leisure sports activity, positive stroke was high, and negative and no strokes were low. Couples not engaging in the same activity exhibited a partial positive effect when both or one of the individuals engaged in leisure sports activities. Among couples in which both individuals did not engage in leisure sports activities, negative results were found for all factors. Furthermore, couples engaging in the same activity showed high marital intimacy and satisfaction. Moreover, couples engaging in the same activity showed the lowest intention to divorce, whereas couples who did not engage in leisure sports activities showed the highest intention to divorce. These findings suggest that leisure sports activities positively affect relationships, and this effect increases when couples participate in the same sport. Future research should investigate methods for couples to engage in leisure activities and how they can be activated.
... Some evidence supports the view that engaging in intimate interactions facilitates interpersonal emotional regulation, the skill to manage emotions through the other's influence (Barthel et al., 2018). Marital research has found that intimacy partially explains the relation between couples' satisfaction and emotional skills in relationships (Cordova et al., 2005;Mirgain & Cordova, 2007). In comparison, fear of intimacy hinders the development of intimate relationships, showing a significant negative correlation with intimacy and social connectedness (Toh et al., 2022). ...
... Previous research has found that intimacy difficulties are associated with rigid behavioral pattern, particularly avoidance of unwanted or unpleasant emotions, thoughts, and experiences (Kashdan et al., 2014;Maitland, 2020). As intimacy occurs on a continuum of interpersonal vulnerability (Cordova & Scott, 2001), it is likely that people who do not have well-developed emotion regulation skills or mainly rely emotional avoidant strategies to cope with emotionally challenge interactions are less willing to engage in intimate relationships where exposing their vulnerabilities is central (Cordova et al., 2005;Mirgain & Cordova, 2007), This study has several limitations. Although recruitment methods aimed to collect data from a diverse population, most participants self-identified as heterosexual, women, highly educated (e.g., holding a bachelor's or postgraduate degree), and of moderate level of privilege. ...
Intimacy is an interpersonal repertoire related to physical and behavioral health indicators. Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is a behavioral intervention that has demonstrated utility in improving intimacy repertoires, particularly in experimental single-case designs. The FAP Intimacy Scale (FAPIS) was developed with the aim of using a theoretically sound measure to evaluate FAP effects on a large scale. This study sought to culturally adapt and validate the FAPIS for Spanish-speaking populations. A total sample of 509 Spanish-speaking participants completed the survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine FAPIS psychometric properties. A network analysis was also performed to assess the relation among scale factors. As expected, the FAPIS Spanish version demonstrated a good fit, meeting the same three-factor structure as the original version. Network loading along three factors was also found, and item 3 was identified as the most central item in the scale. Low and negative correlations among FAPIS, experiential avoidance, emotional sensitivity, and social impact were found. Findings showed that FAPIS is a valid and reliable measure for assessing intimacy in Spanish-speaking populations.
... Seven items from the Intimate Safety Questionnaire (J. Cordova et al., 2005) were used to assess the participants' perceptions of the extent and their comfort with emotional intimacy with their partner. Items were selected based on factor analyses conducted by Bartos (2018) that yielded an eight-item emotional intimacy subscale from the 28-item version of the Intimate Safety Questionnaire that also assesses perceptions of intimacy related to conversations about sex, disagreements, being oneself, and emotional safety in public spaces. ...
This study examined the associations between spiritual intimacy and the quality of dating relationships. Spiritual intimacy refers to partners vulnerably disclosing their religious/spiritual experiences, doubts, and/or struggles to one another and empathically listening to such disclosures. Regression analyses were conducted with 207 midwestern state university students (83% female, 85% White, 80% heterosexual, 56% theists) in a dating relationship (M = 19.2 months). Greater spiritual intimacy was associated with greater emotional intimacy (β = .31, p < .0001), relationship satisfaction (β = .44, p < .0001), and commitment (β = .34, p < .0001) after controlling for religious attendance, theism, partners’ shared religious views, union length, cohabitation, age, sex, and ethnicity. Spiritual intimacy continued to predict relationship satisfaction (β = .24, p < .0001) and commitment (β = .19, p < .01) after controlling for emotional intimacy. Spiritually intimate dialogues contribute to relationship satisfaction and commitment beyond emotional intimacy.
Marriages, as a social institution, have long been a research focus. Due to numerous factors and a lack of studies on non-Western collectivistic groups, this study aims to explore the correlates of couple flourishing among married individuals in India. A purposive sampling technique was used, and 98 participants were administered the love language scale, intimate bonds measure, conflict resolution styles inventory and couple identity items. Data analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient indicates that flourishing shares significant correlations with couple identity, quality time as a love language, intimate bonds of care and control and various conflict resolution styles. While the increase in positive problem-solving increases flourishing, conflict engagement, withdrawal, and compliance have a varying negative association. The study contributes valuable insights for individuals, couples, and practitioners within the Indian context and urges a look into the role of quality time, care, and constructive conflict resolution in the flourishing of couples.
Romantic relationships significantly impact individuals' mental health, emotional well-being, and life satisfaction. Effective communication, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution are critical to maintaining relational harmony. However, contemporary challenges, including technology use and work-life balance, complicate relationship dynamics, necessitating a deeper exploration of these factors. This study investigates the interplay between communication patterns, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution techniques, and relational satisfaction in intimate relationships. The objectives include identifying key communication strategies, exploring the role of emotional intelligence, analyzing the impact of technology-mediated communication, and understanding the balance between work-life and relational satisfaction. A qualitative, exploratory design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 25 couples (N=50). The data were collected through guided discussions on communication styles, emotional intimacy, conflict resolution, and relationship satisfaction. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software to identify key themes and subthemes. The study revealed six major themes: effective communication, emotional intimacy, conflict resolution, technology-mediated communication, work-life balance, and relational satisfaction. Active listening, empathy, and open communication emerged as pivotal for fostering intimacy and satisfaction. Technology-mediated communication demonstrated both benefits and challenges, while work-life balance significantly influenced relational harmony. This research underscores the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence, balanced communication strategies, and effective conflict resolution to enhance relationship dynamics. The innovative application of blockchain technology concepts in managing relational conflicts was also noted as a novel approach to selective information sharing. Future studies should examine the long-term impacts of technology-mediated communication, delve into diverse relational contexts, and develop interventions that integrate emotional intelligence and conflict resolution strategies to strengthen intimate relationships.
Background: Interpersonal emotion regulation is a crucial skill that underpins the emotional dynamics in couples' relationships. In regulating interpersonal emotions, couples not only focus on their own emotions but also consider the emotions of their partner. Objectives: The study aimed to explore the role of interpersonal emotion regulation in couples' relationships. Methods: This qualitative study utilized a grounded theory strategy. Married women and men from Yazd (2021) who met the inclusion criteria participated in semi-structured interviews conducted through purposeful sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. A total of 20 individuals (13 women and 7 men) were included in the study. Data were analyzed using MaxQDA 2020 software. Results: Collecting and coding the data with the Strauss and Corbin method, as open, axial, and selective coding, gave us 229 open codings, 32 axial codings, 7 selective codings, and one nuclear or core category under the title of safe attachment. The major categories included: Personal development, emotional safety, emotional self-awareness, empathic attunement, comprehensive support, comprehensive improvement of quality of life, and promotion of the spousal-safe base. A paradigm model was drawn from the components of the central phenomenon, causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. Conclusions: The specification of effective factors in the formation of interpersonal emotion regulation and the research paradigm model enables the accurate identification of strategies for interpersonal emotion regulation and their consequences in couple relationships, facilitating the progression of couples towards safe attachment. It is suggested that family counselors and therapists use these results to help couples.
Mediation analysis measures the effect of an independent variable on the dependent variable in the presence of a third variable designated as the mediator. The mediation variable plays a very important role by providing a detailed perspective in better understanding the relationship between both variables. In this study, the mediating role of psychological well-being in the relationship between spouse burnout and marital satisfaction of married individuals was tested. In addition, the effect of parents' marital satisfaction on their children's well-being cannot be ignored. 183 participants (83 women and 100 men) participated in the study. Demographic Information Form, Golombok-Rust Marital Status Inventory, Spouse Burnout Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scale were administered to the participants. The data were analyzed and evaluated by adding the Process v.4 module (Hayes, 2022) to the SPSS 21 program and following its procedures. According to this analysis, it was determined that there was a negative relationship between spouse burnout and marital satisfaction and that the psychological well-being dimension played a partial mediator role in the relationship between spouse burnout and marital satisfaction. It is thought that this study will give an idea and contribute to choosing variables that may have a stronger mediating role for researchers who will study spouse burnout and marital satisfaction.
This article reviews recent research in the area of marital interaction. It suggests that sufficient consistency exists in the observational results to begin theory construction to explain three basic patterns. Theory reconstruction is then described that is designed to assess the role that emotional expression and control play in accounting for variation in marital satisfaction. Next the argument is made that the key to the assessment of emotion is specificity, and a case is made for a dialectic between specific features and cultural informants coding systems. On the basis of this discussion, the role of the autonomic nervous system is discussed in the construction of a sociophysiological theory of marriage.
Do women express their feelings more than men? Popular stereotypes say they do, but in this provocative book, Leslie Brody breaks with conventional wisdom. Integrating a wealth of perspectives and research--biological, sociocultural, developmental--her work explores the nature and extent of gender differences in emotional expression, as well as the endlessly complex question of how such differences come about.
Nurture, far more than nature, emerges here as the stronger force in fashioning gender differences in emotional expression. Brody shows that whether and how men and women express their feelings varies widely from situation to situation and from culture to culture, and depends on a number of particular characteristics including age, ethnicity, cultural background, power, and status.
Especially pertinent is the organization of the family, in which boys and girls elicit and absorb different emotional strategies. Brody also examines the importance of gender roles, whether in the family, the peer group, or the culture at large, as men and women use various patterns of emotional expression to adapt to power and status imbalances.
Lucid and level-headed, Gender, Emotion, and the Family offers an unusually rich and nuanced picture of the great range of male and female emotional styles, and the variety of the human character.
Reviews of this book:
Gender, Emotion, and the Family focuses on gender differences in the experience and expression of emotion...[Brody] has gathered an amazing amount of data from innumerable studies...[and gives] a balanced account of the effect of environmental variables on the development of emotion.
--Lucy Horwitz, Boston Book Review
Reviews of this book:
Finally, an accurate and well-balanced discussion of topics that are on everybody's mind. Brody integrates research on the socialization of violence in boys and of the caretaking role for girls. Both this book and actual scientific research strongly support the role of nurture rather than nature in gender socialization...[A] highly recommended book.
--F. Smolucha, Choice
Reviews of this book:
Drawing on a wealth of information, [Leslie Brody] illuminates the ways in which men and women, boys and girls, develop and express emotions in the context of the family...This in-depth research addresses many issues, from power in relationships to the physiological expression of emotion; evidence of contradictory findings is detailed. This is a valuable addition to the ever-changing frontiers of behavior research.
--Margaret Cardwell, Library Journal
Reviews of this book:
Beyond the main points about the complexities and contingencies of gender differences and their development, the book contains accounts of many, many fascinating studies and intriguing points of view. . . . Brody ultimately succeeds in articulating a comprehensive, thoughtful, and intellectually rigorous review of the research literature on gender differences in emotional expression, from a feminist empiricist perspective. This is an important book to own . . . . a valuable reference for researchers and professionals.
--Contemporary Psychology
Brody has formidable mastery of this burgeoning field. Gender, Emotion, and the Family offers new theoretical insights for lay readers and fellow scholars alike. Highly readable, responsible, and original, this will be the major work on the socialization of emotion for a long time to come.
--Judith A. Hall, Northeastern University
A beautifully written text that integrates theory and research in a sophisticated yet highly readable way. Brody examines the development of emotional experience and expression in the family and the intimate connections between emotion, familial relationships, and gender. Brody's tremendous breadth of scholarship shows in every chapter, and her thoughtful, comprehensive, and insightful responses to the complex questions in the field are a must read for students and scholars alike.
--Amy G. Halberstadt, North Carolina State University
Leslie Brody provides a careful evaluation of the research data on precisely what the gender differences are--and are not--in emotional experience and expression, but that is only the first strength of her book. With an original and complex transactional theory, she shows how physiological, relational and cultural factors interact in creating gender differences in emotion, and reminds us how peculiar it is to try--as psychologists have!-- to make much of any single factor. Gender, Emotion, and the Family outlines a compelling research agenda that will move the next generation of empirical studies to a new and much more exciting level.
--Abigail Stewart, Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies, University of Michigan
An invaluable resource for researchers on all aspects of the psychology and sociology of gender, Gender, Emotion, and the Family comprehensively synthesizes and re-analyzes the enormous research literature on supposed gender differences in emotional expression. Leslie Brody offers a clear and compelling critique of the widespread belief that males and females have essentially different emotional styles. Arguing that apparent gender differences in emotion are closely related to gender differences in dominance and power, Brody illuminates the great diversity of experience and behavior found among members of the same sex, and reminds us of the powerful role played by stereotypes in dictating emotions that men and women should display, and the pressures they feel to conform to those stereotypes.
--Elizabeth Aries, Amherst College
Brody has formidable mastery of this burgeoning field. Gender, Emotion, and the Family offers new theoretical insights for lay readers and fellow scholars alike. Highly readable, responsible, and original, this will be the major work on the socialization of emotion for a long time to come.
--Judith A. Hall, Northeastern University
Leslie Brody provides a careful evaluation of the research data on precisely what the gender differences are--and are not--in emotional experience and expression, but that is only the first strength of her book. With an original and complex transactional theory, she shows how physiological, relational and cultural factors interact in creating gender differences in emotion, and reminds us how peculiar it is to try--as psychologists have!-- to make much of any single factor. Gender, Emotion, and the Family outlines a compelling research agenda that will move the next generation of empirical studies to a new and much more exciting level.
--Abigail Stewart, University of Michigan
The dyadic adjustment scale is critically evaluated by reconsidering the factor structure of the scale and its subscales using a maximum likelihood, confirmatory factor-analysis procedure. A new sample is studied three years later from the same geographical area. High reliability was confirmed for the overall scale. The four subscale factors appear robust and account for 94% of the covariance among the items, although subscale affiliations were not perfectly replicated in the confirmatory factor solution. The findings of the re-evaluation are encouraging, suggesting that confidence in the scale is warranted for subsequent users.
An examination of relevant literature reveals that females are sex-role stereotyped as being more expressive than males. It was hypothesized that although females would be more expressive than males, this difference could be explained by two variables—perceived parental expressiveness and interpersonal orientation. The findings, based upon responses to questionnaires from a sample of 523 college students, indicate that females are more expressive of love, happiness, and sadness than males. Based upon second-order partial gammas, gender is found to have a strong relationship with expressiveness, independent of perceived parental expressiveness and interpersonal orientation. Although parental expressiveness was found to have a strong, independent effect upon expressiveness, the relationship between interpersonal orientation and expressiveness is found to be spurious.
Two studies were conducted involving 150 couples selected at-large and 40 couples in marital therapy. An initial focus of the studies was the development of a 280-item Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) including one validity scale, one global affective scale, and nine additional scales focusing on specific areas of marital interaction. Correlational analyses confirm that measures of communication are the best single predictors of global marital satisfaction. Profile analyses demonstrate the ability of the MSI to discriminate between couples in therapy and a matched control group. Implications for use of the instrument both as a clinical tool and research instrument are discussed.
We examine how gender inequality in the family affects anger. A sociological model of distress predicts that conditions of inequality and disadvantage result in higher levels of all types of distress. However, most research on gender and parenthood has measured distress with depression and anxiety. Theoretically, anger results from perceptions of social inequality. Using data from a national probability sample of 2,031 adults, we find that women have higher levels of anger than men, that each additional child in the household increases anger, and that children increase anger more for mothers than for fathers. Parenthood introduces two types of objective stressors into an individual's life: economic strains and the strains associated with child care. Women are exposed to both types of strain more than men. Economic hardship, child-care responsibilities in the household, and difficulties arranging and paying for child care all significantly increase anger, and explain the effects of gender and parenthood on anger. In support of a gender inequality perspective, we find that mothers have the highest levels of anger because of economic inequality and the inequitable distribution of parental responsibilities. Mothers also are more likely to express their anger than others. However, expressiveness does not account for differences in anger between men and women or between parents and nonparents.