Personality Traits and Relationship Satisfaction in Intimate Couples: Three Perspectives on Personality

Abstract

Personality traits are important predictors of relationship satisfaction. However, the majority of previous study findings are based on self-perceptions of personality. Thus, by means of the self-, partner-, and metaperceptions of personality, the present study focused on three different perspectives on the Big Five personality traits to examine dyadic associations with relationship satisfaction of intimate couples. The study was based on the first measurement occasion of the Swiss longitudinal study 'Co-Development in Personality: Longitudinal Approaches to Personality Development in Dyads across the Life Span' and included data of 216 couples. The main analyses were based on Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Three general findings emerged. First, the three personality perspectives represented related, albeit distinct, constructs, and showed incremental validity with respect to relationship satisfaction. Second, neuroticism was negatively related to relationship satisfaction, whereas agreeableness and conscientiousness were positively related to relationship satisfaction across all perspectives. Third, substantial associations between extraversion and relationship satisfaction were exclusively evident in terms of the partnerand meta-perception. The present results contribute to the literature by showing that each perspective is essential for the understanding of the role of personality for relationship satisfaction.

Concurrent and longitudinal dyadic polynomial regression analyses of Big Five traits and relationship satisfaction: Does similarity matter?

“…This study aims to investigate personality development in relationships with significant others (e.g., Furler et al, 2014;Schaffhuser, Allemand, & Martin, 2014). For our cross-sectional analyses, we used data of both partners from 237 heterosexual couples.…”

On Correlated Change in Personality

“…Caspi & Roberts, 2001;Fraley & Roberts, 2005;Wood & Denissen, 2015). As social relationships are part of an individual's environment (e.g., Schaffhuser, Allemand, & Martin, 2014), this also implies that there are reciprocal transactions between personality and relationship experiences (Graber, Laurenceau, & Carver, 2011;Neyer, Mund, Zimmermann, & Wrzus, 2014). Such dynamic processes are called personality-relationship transactions.…”

“…Family and friends and, more generally, the broader social network including diverse social relationships, represent important developmental contexts or realms of experiences in adulthood (e.g., Schaffhuser et al, 2014). Relationships experiences and social roles that are centered within family, friendships, and other relationships may influence the individual and promote or prevent individual changes.…”

The Increment of Social Axioms over Broad Personality Traits in the Prediction of Dyadic Adjustment: An Investigation across Four Ethnic Groups

“…This approach has previously been used in dyadic studies with distinguishable partners, showing good results (e.g. Schaffhuser, Allemand, et al, ; Schaffhuser, Wagner, Ludtke, & Allemand, ). The main model tested models for both actor and partner effects, for both male and female outcomes (dyadic adjustment), for all five personality traits, and for all five social axioms.…”

“…Out of the five broad FFM factors, Neuroticism has been consistently associated with marital dysfunction and marital dissatisfaction in both single studies (e.g. Gattis et al, ; Schaffhuser, Allemand, & Martin, ) and meta‐analyses (Karney & Bradbury, ). Agreeableness with its components of trust and altruism is a good predictor of positive couple relationships, being associated positively with marital satisfaction (Karney & Bradbury, ), and negatively with conflictual behaviours in the couple (Donnellan, Conger, & Bryant, ).…”