title: Linking hearts and minds in couple interactions: intentions, attributions, and overriding sentiments.
abstract: This study examined the role of emotion and relationship satisfaction in shaping attributions about a partner's intentions in couple interactions. Using video recall, participants (N = 156 couples) reported on their own and their partner's intentions and emotions during affective moments of a discussion about an upsetting event. Links were found between relationship satisfaction and factor-analytically derived intention and attribution scales. Attributions about a partner's intentions were weakly to moderately correlated with the partner's self-reported intentions. Relationship satisfaction accounted for part of the discrepancy between self-reported intentions and partner attributions. Emotions mediated the links between relationship satisfaction and attributions, suggesting that clinicians working with distressed couples should pay more attention to the emotional climate in which attributions are made.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. rwaldinger@partners.org
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Waldinger
authors.forename: Marc S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012650:Self Disclosure; D014743:Videotape Recording