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Being Better or Getting Better? Social and Temporal Comparisons as Coping Mechanisms in Close Relationships

University of Florida, nancy.frye{at}liu.edu

Benjamin R. Karney

University of Florida, karney{at}ufl.edu

How do partners in close relationships evaluate the broader implications of their specific problems? Prior research suggests that partners evaluate their relationships through social and temporal comparisons. The current study expanded on this work in two ways. First, within-subject analyses examined whether partners use comparisons strategically, engaging in more favorable comparisons with respect to more threatening problems. Results confirmed that spouses generally perceive themselves to be better off than other couples and generally expect their problems to remain stable over time. However, within-subject analyses revealed that, with respect to more severe problems, spouses were less likely to perceive themselves as superior but more likely to perceive those problems as improving over time. Second, sample and longitudinal data were used to examine the accuracy of partners’ comparisons. Consistent with predictions, social comparisons were associated with actual standing within the sample, whereas temporal comparisons were not associated with actual change over time.

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