Original scientific paper

Attributions of partner’s negative behavior and intimate relationship quality

Tina Krznarić orcid.org/0000-0002-3690-5202 ; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zagreb, Croatia
Željka Kamenov orcid.org/0000-0003-0392-149X ; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Causal attributions are crucial in adapting to an ever-changing environment. When the outcome is favorable,
attributions help us understand what led to such an outcome so we can repeat those behaviors in the future.
Attributions also enable the recognition and avoidance of factors that led to a negative outcome. Partners
who are unhappy in a relationship attribute the cause of negative events to the partner, considering the
cause to be stable and global. Persons who are satisfied in their relationship judge the cause to be outside
of the partner, unstable and specific. Fincham and Bradbury’s Relationship Attribution Measure (RAM)
measures attributions in romantic relationships. The participant estimates internality, stability and globality
of the causes of 4 described hypothetical negative partner’s behaviors. The aim of this research was to
determine the relationship between the tendency to engage in positive or negative partner’s behavior
attributions, the perception of partner’s expression of affectionate and antagonistic behaviors and the
perception of relationship quality. The sample consisted of 155 students who are currently in a romantic
relationship. The results represent the first evaluation of construct validity of the Croatian version of the
Relationship attribution measure and indicate its possible applications, as well as providing an empirical
verification of the Social Learning Theory in intimate relationships

Keywords

intimate relationships; relationship attribution measure; relationship quality

Hrčak ID:

174628

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/174628

Publication date:

5.12.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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