Couple identity processes in young adulthood: An experimental study on the role of intrusive parenting for romantic partners’ other-serving bias

This chapter focuses on couple identity processes in young adult romantic partners and analyzes the role of the family of origin for such processes. In particular, the chapter examines the influence of intrusive parenting on a specific manifestation of couple identity, i.e., the other-serving bias, which consists in making responsibility attributions in favor of the partner. Through an experimental study involving 48 dating couples, we tested the hypothesis that, after engaging in an interdependent-outcome task, partners would manifest the other-serving bias. Moreover, we hypothesized that intrusive parenting, i.e., a parental strategy characterized by overly controlling and manipulative practices that intrude into the child’s self, would moderate the other-serving bias: Participants who described their parents as non-intrusive would display stronger bias, while participants who described their parents as intrusive would display less bias, if at all. Results showed that participants generally attributed a success to the partner and a failure to themselves, clearly showing the other-serving bias. Individuals with highly intrusive parents, however, did not show the other-serving bias, but tended to share responsibilities for both types of outcomes. Findings provide further evidence of the negative implications of intrusive parenting for couple identity processes during young adulthood.