TY - JOUR
T1 - “You’ve Changed”
T2 - Low Self-Concept Clarity Predicts Lack of Support for Partner Change
AU - Emery, Lydia F.
AU - Gardner, Wendi L.
AU - Finkel, Eli J.
AU - Carswell, Kathleen L.
PY - 2018/3/1
Y1 - 2018/3/1
N2 - People often pursue self-change, and having a romantic partner who supports these changes increases relationship satisfaction. However, most existing research focuses only on the experience of the person who is changing. What predicts whether people support their partner’s change? People with low self-concept clarity resist self-change, so we hypothesized that they would be unsupportive of their partner’s changes. People with low self-concept clarity did not support their partner’s change (Study 1a), because they thought they would have to change, too (Study 1b). Low self-concept clarity predicted failing to support a partner’s change, but not vice versa (Studies 2 and 3), and only for larger changes (Study 3). Not supporting a partner’s change predicted decreases in relationship quality for both members of the couple (Studies 2 and 3). This research underscores the role of partners in self-change, suggesting that failing to support a partner’s change may stem from self-concept confusion.
AB - People often pursue self-change, and having a romantic partner who supports these changes increases relationship satisfaction. However, most existing research focuses only on the experience of the person who is changing. What predicts whether people support their partner’s change? People with low self-concept clarity resist self-change, so we hypothesized that they would be unsupportive of their partner’s changes. People with low self-concept clarity did not support their partner’s change (Study 1a), because they thought they would have to change, too (Study 1b). Low self-concept clarity predicted failing to support a partner’s change, but not vice versa (Studies 2 and 3), and only for larger changes (Study 3). Not supporting a partner’s change predicted decreases in relationship quality for both members of the couple (Studies 2 and 3). This research underscores the role of partners in self-change, suggesting that failing to support a partner’s change may stem from self-concept confusion.
KW - close relationships
KW - relationship quality
KW - self-change
KW - self-concept clarity
KW - support
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041794566&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85041794566&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0146167217739263
DO - 10.1177/0146167217739263
M3 - Article
C2 - 29134868
AN - SCOPUS:85041794566
VL - 44
SP - 318
EP - 331
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
SN - 0146-1672
IS - 3
ER -