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Maladaptive Responses to Relationship Dissolution: The Role of Relationship Contingent Self‐Worth
Author(s) -
PARK LORA E.,
SANCHEZ DIANA T.,
BRYNILDSEN KIMBERLY
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2011.00769.x
Subject(s) - psychology , romance , distress , social psychology , contingency , self worth , interpersonal relationship , structural equation modeling , interpersonal communication , vulnerability (computing) , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , self esteem , psychoanalysis , linguistics , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , computer security , computer science
The present study examined responses to romantic breakup as a function of relationship contingency of self‐worth (CSW)—the degree to which individuals base self‐worth on being in a romantic relationship. Relationship CSW was hypothesized to be a vulnerability factor, exacerbating affective and behavioral responses to romantic relationship dissolution. Results of structural equation modeling ( N = 312) revealed that among participants who reported a breakup over the past year, those who more strongly based self‐worth on being in a relationship reported greater emotional distress and obsessive pursuit of their ex‐partners than did those with lower relationship CSW. Specifically, emotional distress partially mediated the link between relationship CSW and obsessive pursuit. Implications of relationship CSW for interpersonal motivation and well‐being are discussed.