Own and perceived partner satisfaction in dating relationships

• Main Author: Kobylak, Joelle C.
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2607

The current studies were the first to examine perceived partner satisfaction in terms of how satisfied participants perceived their partners to be and how they contribute to their partners' satisfaction. Two studies examined correlations between own and perceived partner satisfaction, importance of partner satisfaction, and other factors involved in dating relationships such as passion, intimacy, commitment, perceived fairness, disclosure, trust, and happiness. Participants in Study 1 were 224 Introductory Psychology students involved in current dating relationships. The purpose of the study was to determine whether perceived partner satisfaction contributed to dating relationships (independent of own satisfaction) in terms of the relationship factors mentioned above. Study 2 compared 77 dating couples' responses to assess interdependence and similarity of partners ratings of satisfaction, perceived partner satisfaction, importance of partner satisfaction, and other relationship factors. Comparisons were also made between participants' perceptions of partner satisfaction and their partner's actual satisfaction.