Interpersonal relations

Previous research has demonstrated the deleterious effects of romantic relationship breakup on the self-concept and post-dissolution outcomes (Cope & Mattingly, 2021). However, individual differences in newly validated identity orientations (i.e., the preference to expand or conserve one’s sense of self; Hughes et al., 2020) may influence identity recovery. The current studies examined the influence of self-expansion preference on self-concept clarity and identity restoration mechanisms (i.e., relationship rekindling) following relationship dissolution using cross sectional (Study 1), intensive longitudinal (Study 2), and dynamical (Study 3) methods. Across studies, self-expansion preference emerged as a trait-level predictor of post-breakup experiences including self-concept clarity, distress, and relationship rekindling desire. Implications for individual experiences of romantic relationship dissolution are discussed.

Previous research has demonstrated the harmful impacts of adverse childhood circumstances on adult romantic relationships. The current study examines the negative influence of childhood unpredictability on adult relationships and how this effect may be buffered and enhanced, respectively, by cognitive ability and Machiavellianism. A total of 256 participants completed measures of childhood unpredictability, Machiavellianism, cognitive ability, and relationship satisfaction. Individuals who experienced childhood unpredictability reported lower adult romantic relationship satisfaction. Machiavellianism was found to significantly enhance the negative effects of childhood unpredictability on adult relationships for men only. Cognitive ability was not a significant moderator.

Enemy relationships play an important role in shaping identity, adjustment, and group cohesion. However, little is known about the causes of enemy relationships. The current study identified the role of individual and dyadic attributes in the formation of new mutual antipathies in primary and middle school children (N=372). Participants completed identical surveys at three time points during a single school year. Self-reports described children’s conduct problems and emotional problems. Peer nominations measured children’s popularity, academic achievement, athleticism, and acceptance. The results indicated that enemy formation was driven by undesirable traits at both the individual and dyadic levels. At the individual level, lower academic achievement and higher conduct problems increased the odds of enemy formation. At the dyadic level, similarities between peers on conduct problems and emotional problems increased the odds of enemy formation. The findings, together with previous studies on the consequences of participation in enemy relationships, suggest that problems from enemy relationships contribute to the formation of new enemy relationships.

The current study examined the emergent nature of close relationship construals from the perspective of Action Identification Theory. Specifically, participants were induced to think about the actions of a romantic partner or close friend at a high- (i.e., overall meaning) or low- (concrete details) level, and then instructed to rate the validity of false feedback regarding the nature of their relationship (i.e., spontaneous, or predictable). Marginal support was found for the main prediction that focusing on low level details rather than high-level meaning would lead individuals to rate false high-level relational construals as more valid, although this effect was found only for those reporting on a romantic relationship, but not a close friendship. Further, exploratory analyses examining potential interaction effects demonstrated the relative influence of partner concept-clarity and relationship satisfaction on patterns of psychological emergence.

Living in complex social environments consists not only of sets of individuals
with their own dyadic relationships but also whose own dyadic relationships with other
group members must be observed and inferred from. Credibility enhancing displays
may provide one effective tool for dealing with complex social environments by
extracting and integrating adaptive information from an immense range of potential
social partners. Organized religious beliefs typical of routine rituals and standardized
religious ideologies may serve as one type of credibility cue. The aim of this study was
to assess how others judge adult's expressing a religious, spiritual, or natural
explanation on traits associated with Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and Intelligence.
Results from the study revealed that religious explanations were more affective than
spiritual explanations at influencing perceptions of Positive-Affect and Negative Affect
for those high and low in religious beliefs.

The current study examined the homophilic processes of selection and
socialization in same-sex adolescent friendships across a 3-year period. The
framework of the actor-partner interdependence model for distinguishable dyads was
the main analytic technique, an improvement over previous analysis methods which
often did not allow for simultaneous exploration of selection and socialization.
Within the friendships, adolescents were distinguished based on their general peer
acceptance levels, and similarity was assessed for three behaviors: deviant behavior,
depression, and achievement motivation. Results showed evidence of both selection
and socialization for deviant behavior and achievement motivation, but not for
depression. Furthermore, partner influence paths suggested that more accepted
friends typically exerted more influence on less accepted friends. Gender also
moderated results, with girls tending to have stronger effects than boys.

An increasing number of individuals are looking for health information,
interacting with health care providers, and participating in health-related online support
groups The virtual landscape of the internet offers the opportunity for individuals to
establish contact and relationships with persons having similar health concerns anywhere,
anytime The phenomenon of health-related social media use generated an interest in why
persons in the transplant journey chose to participate in an online support community,
how they interacted and made use of the online community, and how this knowledge
could assist nursing in improving care for this growing population A six month sample
of internet postings from an international transplant-related social media site was
analyzed using an inductive qualitative content analysis adapted from Graneheim and
Lundman (2003) within the theoretical lens of Unitary Caring Science (Smith, 1999) The
study provided a unique perspective of how members used the social media support group The synthesis of four pandimensional interconnected patterns, expressing
emotions, sharing experiences, exchanging information, and offering reciprocal support
lead to a theme of being known and understood Healing transcendence emerged as a
unitary transformative metatheme that reflected the holistic nature of the member
interaction in the online support experience

Previous studies of desired friendship have assessed desired friends with
unilateral nominations (when one child chooses another child as a friend, but that friend
nomination is not reciprocated). This calls into question the validity of findings
suggesting that children want to be friends with others who differ from themselves, but
befriend similar others by default (Sijtsema, Lindenberg, & Veenstra, 2010). The current
study concerns desired friendships among 195 girls and 147 boys in Grades 4 through 6.
Two hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis was that children will not choose the
same unilateral and desired friends. The second hypothesis was that children will be more
similar to their reciprocal friends than to their unilateral and desired friends.
Questionnaires measured desired friendship, friendship, and child characteristics. Both
hypotheses were supported. However, there were group-level differences. The
importance of using desired friend nominations to measure desired friends is discussed.

An important area of research is emerging for adults diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) with respect to the challenges they face in their social
relationships. Social relationships include those that are romantic in nature such as dating, cohabitation and marriage. Researchers suggest that engaging in a healthy and happy romantic relationship has many physical and mental health benefits that contribute to improved quality of life. This study used a quasi-experimental group design to explore the effects of psychoeducation for adults with ASD. Study participants were assigned to one of two group conditions. One group received the Relationship Enhancement®(RE) program and the other received RE with supplements targeting specific social skills. Social skills, empathy and social support were measured pre and post intervention for participants both within and between groups. Significant differences were found in the assessment of all participants, in both groups, as measured by t-tests and effect sizes in the variables of social skills (t(37)=- 2.28-2.72, p=.028-.029, η2=.122) and empathy (t(37)=-2.31, p=.027, η2=.123). These differences indicate that all participants, in both groups improved in social skills and empathy from pre to post treatment. No significant differences were found among all group participants for the variable of social support. There were no significant differences between groups for the three variables measured (p>0.05). Overall, these results provide support for the use of RE and the targeted supplements to increase social skills and empathy among adults with ASD who are interested in engaging in romantic relationships.