TY - JOUR
T1 - The paradoxical influence of stress on the intensity of romantic feelings towards the partner
AU - Donato, Silvia
AU - Parise, Miriam
AU - Pagani, Ariela F.
AU - Sciara, Simona
AU - Iafrate, Raffaella
AU - Pantaleo, Giuseppe
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - According to Brehm’s emotional intensity theory (EIT), the strength of feelings of romantic affect towards a romantic partner should vary as a cubic function of increasing levels of relationship stress (i.e., deterrence to feelings of romantic affect). The study tested this hypothesis in a true experiment with 80 young adults actually engaged in a romantic relationship, by systematically manipulating stress, through a recall procedure, across four distinct levels of intensity (control vs. low vs. moderate vs. high levels of manipulated stress). As predicted by emotional intensity theory, feelings of romantic affect were strong in the control condition, reduced in the low stress condition (low deterrence), maintained intense in the moderate stress condition (moderate deterrence), and reduced, again, in the high stress condition (high deterrence). Findings and both theoretical and practical implications for professionals and future research are discussed, with special emphasis on how to promote partners’ everyday adjustments to stress and emotional intensity regulation.
AB - According to Brehm’s emotional intensity theory (EIT), the strength of feelings of romantic affect towards a romantic partner should vary as a cubic function of increasing levels of relationship stress (i.e., deterrence to feelings of romantic affect). The study tested this hypothesis in a true experiment with 80 young adults actually engaged in a romantic relationship, by systematically manipulating stress, through a recall procedure, across four distinct levels of intensity (control vs. low vs. moderate vs. high levels of manipulated stress). As predicted by emotional intensity theory, feelings of romantic affect were strong in the control condition, reduced in the low stress condition (low deterrence), maintained intense in the moderate stress condition (moderate deterrence), and reduced, again, in the high stress condition (high deterrence). Findings and both theoretical and practical implications for professionals and future research are discussed, with special emphasis on how to promote partners’ everyday adjustments to stress and emotional intensity regulation.
KW - applied social psychology
KW - deterrence
KW - emotion
KW - emotional intensity theory (EIT)
KW - feelings of romantic affect
KW - motivation
KW - paradoxical affect
KW - romantic relationships
KW - stress
KW - applied social psychology
KW - deterrence
KW - emotion
KW - emotional intensity theory (EIT)
KW - feelings of romantic affect
KW - motivation
KW - paradoxical affect
KW - romantic relationships
KW - stress
UR - https://publicatt.unicatt.it/handle/10807/130450
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85059160334&origin=inward
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85059160334&origin=inward
U2 - 10.5964/ijpr.v12i2.310
DO - 10.5964/ijpr.v12i2.310
M3 - Article
SN - 1981-6472
VL - 12
SP - 215
EP - 231
JO - INTERPERSONA:AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
JF - INTERPERSONA:AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
IS - 2
ER -