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Personality Strengths in Romantic relationships: Measuring Perceptions of Benefits and Costs and Their Impact on Personal and Relational Well-Being

April 2017
Psychological Assessment 30(2)

DOI:10.1037/pas0000464

Authors:

Todd B Kashdan

George Mason University

Dan V Blalock

Durham VA Medical Center

Kevin Young

George Mason University

Kyla Machell

George Mason University

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Three studies using samples of people in romantic relationships were conducted to create a new individual difference measure of partner strengths in couples. The 2 perceptions of partner strengths included (1) appreciation of their use and effectiveness and (2) recognition of costs associated with their use. Factor analyses supported 2-factors and we found that greater appreciation of partner strengths predicted greater relationship satisfaction, commitment, investment, intimacy, self-expansion, and support for goal pursuit; recognizing significant costs with partner strengths was inversely related to several outcomes. Using a 1-week daily diary, we found that appreciation of partner strength use and recognition of costs associated with these strengths predicted daily relationship satisfaction and whether basic psychological needs were met within the relationship. The explanatory power of partner strength perceptions could not be explained by the actual character strengths or Big Five personality traits of partners, support for positive self-disclosures (capitalization), or gratitude for relationship partners. Finally, we found that the relational consequences of partner strength perceptions were not just "in the head" of the perceiver-influencing partner relational outcomes. This research program provides evidence for the use of a new measure of how strengths are perceived to better understand romantic couples and aspirational targets in clinical interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Personality Strengths in Romantic relationships: Measuring Perceptions of

Benefits and Costs and Their Impact on Personal

and Relational Well-Being

Todd B. Kashdan, Dan V. Blalock, Kevin C. Young, Kyla A. Machell, Samuel S. Monfort,

Patrick E. McKnight, and Patty Ferssizidis

George Mason University

Three studies using samples of people in romantic relationships were conducted to create a new

individual difference measure of partner strengths in couples. The 2 perceptions of partner strengths

included (1) appreciation of their use and effectiveness and (2) recognition of costs associated with their

use. Factor analyses supported 2-factors and we found that greater appreciation of partner strengths

predicted greater relationship satisfaction, commitment, investment, intimacy, self-expansion, and sup-

port for goal pursuit; recognizing significant costs with partner strengths was inversely related to several

outcomes. Using a 1-week daily diary, we found that appreciation of partner strength use and recognition

of costs associated with these strengths predicted daily relationship satisfaction and whether basic

psychological needs were met within the relationship. The explanatory power of partner strength

perceptions could not be explained by the actual character strengths or Big Five personality traits of

partners, support for positive self-disclosures (capitalization), or gratitude for relationship partners.

Finally, we found that the relational consequences of partner strength perceptions were not just “in the

head” of the perceiver—influencing partner relational outcomes. This research program provides evi-

dence for the use of a new measure of how strengths are perceived to better understand romantic couples

and aspirational targets in clinical interventions.

Public Significance Statement

This research program suggests that the beliefs we hold about the personality strengths of our

romantic partners influence our well-being and their well-being. This is the first study to show an

appreciative mindset about another person’s strengths has a positive influence on the relationship and

the belief that their strengths have a downside has an adverse influence.

Keywords: interpersonal relationships, character strengths, gratitude, capitalization support, psycholog-

ical needs

Over the past decade, prominent models have emerged high-

lighting the importance of personality strengths in understanding

and improving psychological and social well-being (King & Trent,

2012;Linley, 2008;Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Scholars agree

that strengths serve as assets that promote adjustment and adapta-

tion (Noftle, Schnitker, & Robins, 2011). Strengths are trait-like

features of personality in that “they exist in degrees and can be

measured as individual differences (Park, Peterson, & Seligman,

2004, p. 603).

Prior strengths research has been limited to the effects of en-

dorsing strengths in oneself. In the current research, we advance

the study of personality strengths by exploring perceptions about

another person’s strengths. Theorists argue that there is an adaptive

value in recognizing and appreciating the strengths of one’s part-

ner, effects that influence the quality of the relationship to the

perceiver and the object of those perceptions (Murray, Holmes, &

Collins, 2006). For example, a partner who is extremely fair,

ensuring that everyone is treated equally at a family gathering,

might be viewed as an ideal future parent, increasing the perceiv-

er’s optimism about the future of the relationship. Similarly, it may

be maladaptive to recognize a large number of costs associated

with the personality strengths possessed and used by one’s roman-

tic partner. For example, a partner who is extremely curious may

go off on their own when traveling, talking to local merchants and

following small animals on day hikes, which may make her inac-

cessible in the relationship at times.

Because it is an empirical question, rather than fact, that per-

sonality strengths lead to unmitigated positive consequences, it is

surprising how infrequently researchers explore the potential costs

This article was published Online First April 6, 2017.

Todd B. Kashdan, Dan V. Blalock, Kevin C. Young, Kyla A. Machell,

Samuel S. Monfort, Patrick E. McKnight, and Patty Ferssizidis, Depart-

ment of Psychology, George Mason University.

Preparation of this article was supported by funding to the Todd B.

Kashdan from the Values in Action Institute and the Center for the

Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Todd B.

Kashdan, Department of Psychology, MS 3F5, George Mason University,

Fairfax, VA 22030. E-mail: tkashdan@gmu.edu

This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

2018, Vol. 30, No. 2, 241–258 1040-3590/18/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0000464

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The Impact of Recognizing a Romantic Partner’s Character Strengths on Relationship Satisfaction

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