Zen and the art of dating: Mindfulness, differentiation of self, and satisfaction in dating relationships.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the links between trait mindfulness, differentiation of self, and relationship satisfaction in dating relationships. One hundred four individuals in a current dating relationship completed surveys of trait mindfulness, differentiation of self (as measured by its 4 subcomponents: fusion with others, emotional cutoff, emotional reactivity, and I position), and relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that overall differentiation of self and, more specifically, 2 of its subcomponents (I position and fusion with others) mediated (rather than moderated) the link between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. In contrast, the 2 remaining subcomponents of differentiation of self (emotional reactivity and emotional cutoff) did not mediate or moderate the association between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. These results suggest that mindful attunement to one’s partner may promote greater relationship satisfaction by fostering the ability to maintain a clearly defined sense of self even in the wake of stressful situations and the ability to successfully navigate relational demands without becoming overwhelmed by or overly fused with one’s partner. Furthermore, findings from the current study provide preliminary support for the link between mindfulness and differentiation of self and suggest that they may jointly contribute to relationship satisfaction, thus indicating an important area for future research.

Couple Adjustment and Differentiation of Self in the United States, Italy, and Spain: A Cross‐Cultural Study

“…In sum, studies conducted with Italian and Spanish participants indicate that EC is strongly predictive of relationship adjustment; however, in U.S. samples the results are mixed. One of the studies did not find a significant relationship between EC and couple adjustment (Khaddouma, Gordon, & Bolden, 2015), but others demonstrated a strong relationship between EC and couple adjustment (Knerr & Bartle‐Haring, 2010; Skowron, 2000; Skowron & Friedlander, 1998). Given these discrepant findings, we also examined the relationship among the subscales of the DSI‐R and dyadic adjustment in the U.S. sample, specifically focusing on EC and ER, as explained in the following sections.…”

“…In (Khaddouma, Gordon, & Bolden, 2015), but others demonstrated a strong relationship between EC and couple adjustment (Knerr & Bartle-Haring, 2010;Skowron, 2000;Skowron & Friedlander, 1998). Given these discrepant findings, we also examined the relationship among the subscales of the DSI-R and dyadic adjustment in the U.S. sample, specifically focusing on EC and ER, as explained in the following sections.…”

Mindful Mates: A Pilot Study of the Relational Effects of Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction on Participants and Their Partners

“…A growing body of research has linked mindfulness with a number of favorable psychological (Davis & Hayes, ; Eberth & Sedlmeier, ; Keng, Smoski, & Robins, ) and physical (Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, ) health outcomes. Additionally, previous research suggests that mindfulness might also be linked with positive relational outcomes, such as higher levels of relationship satisfaction (Atkinson, ; Kozlowski, ) and with more skillful responses to relationship stress, increased empathy, greater acceptance of one's partner, greater interpersonal differentiation, and more secure spousal attachment (Barnes, Brown, Krusemark, Campbell, & Rogge, ; Burpee & Langer, ; Jones, Welton, Oliver, & Thoburn, ; Khaddouma, Gordon, & Bolden, ; Wachs & Cordova, ).…”

Mindful parenting: a Meta-analytic review of intrapersonal and interpersonal parental outcomes

“…Wachs and Cordova (2007) found that mindfulness training facilitates the transmission of empathic responding, emotional identification, emotional communication, and anger management, which enhances interpersonal functioning. This has been validated by many studies linking mindfulness to benefits within romantic relationships (e.g., Burpee & Langer, 2005;Khaddouma et al, 2015;Khaddouma et al, 2016;Kozlowski, 2013;Janz et al, 2015). Taken together, research on interpersonal mindfulness offers a model that supports the mechanisms of mindfulness in fostering skills that are beneficial to interpersonal relationships, and these benefits have been corroborated within the literature.…”