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Standing in My Partner's Shoes: Partner Perspective Taking and Reactions to Accommodative Dilemmas

Claremont Graduate University, arriaga{at}cgu.edu

Caryl E. Rusbult

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Four studies examined the role of partner perspective taking in shaping reactions to accommodative dilemmas-situations in which a close partner enacts a potentially destructive behavior. Participants included marital partners (Study 1) and dating partners (Studies 2, 3, and 4). Studies 1, 3, and 4 examined preexisting tendencies toward partner perspective taking, and Studies 2, 3, and 4 included experimental manipulations of perspective. In all four studies, adopting the partner's perspective (rather than one's own) during an accommodative dilemma resulted in (a) more positive emotional reactions, more relationship-enhancing attributions, and enhanced inclinations toward constructive responding and (b) less negative emotional reactions, less partner-blaming attributions, and reduced inclinations toward destructive responding. In Studies 2, 3, and 4, analyses examining the simultaneous effects of partner perspective taking, commitment level, and general perspective taking revealed that adopting the partner's perspective exerts unique, independent effects on accommodation-relevant emotions, attributions, and behavioral preferences.

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