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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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0146167208322558v1
34/11/1439    most recent
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Neuroticism and Interpersonal Negativity: The Independent Contributions of Perceptions and Behaviors

James K. McNulty

University of Tennessee at Knoxville, jmcnulty{at}utk.edu

Why are neurotic intimates likely to have troubled relationships? Do they create greater negativity through their own negative behavior, or do they perceive greater negativity through processes of perceptual construal? The current research addressed this question through a study of newlyweds. Spouses reported their neuroticism and their expectancies for two upcoming problem-solving discussions with their partners, then participated in those discussions, and finally reported their perceptions of how their partners behaved during the discussions. Objective observations revealed that the partners of more neurotic spouses behaved more negatively than the partners of less neurotic spouses. For wives, their own behavior mediated these effects. In addition, once the objective quality of partners' behavior was controlled, more neurotic spouses also reported more negative perceptions of those partners' behavior. For husbands, their own expectancies mediated these effects. That personality uniquely affects relationships through behavioral and perceptual processes suggests that those processes should be studied independently.

Key Words: neuroticism • marriage • communication • observational • perceptual biases • self-fulfilling prophecy

This version was published on November 1, 2008

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 34, No. 11, 1439-1450 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167208322558
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 Pers Soc Psychol BullHome page
E. P. Lemay Jr and K. L. Dudley
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[Abstract] [PDF]