Self-esteem and the quality of romantic relationships

Erol, Ruth Yasemin; Orth, Ulrich (2016). Self-esteem and the quality of romantic relationships. European Psychologist, 21(4), pp. 274-283. Hogrefe 10.1027/1016-9040/a000259

[img] Text
Erol and Orth 2016 EP.pdf - Published Version
Restricted to registered users only
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (282kB)
[img]
Preview
Text
Erol and Orth 2016 EP.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (621kB) | Preview

The relation between self-esteem and romantic relationships has been the focus of many research studies. In this article, we review theoretical perspectives and available evidence on (a) the effect of people's self-esteem on the quality of their romantic relationships, (b) the effect of self-esteem similarity between partners on relationship quality, and (c) the psychological mechanisms that might account for the link between self-esteem and relationship quality. Overall, the evidence suggests that high self-esteem is beneficial in romantic relationships. Furthermore, research using data from both partners of couples suggests that high self-esteem has a positive effect also on the partner's happiness with the relationship. However, research indicates that the degree of self-esteem similarity between partners does not influence the couple's relationship satisfaction. Although evidence suggests that perceived regard and secure attachment between the partners explains why self-esteem is beneficial in romantic relationships, future research is needed to examine in more detail the mechanisms through which self-esteem contributes to a happy relationship.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Developmental Psychology

UniBE Contributor:

Erol, Ruth Yasemin, Orth, Ulrich

Subjects:

100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology

ISSN:

1016-9040

Publisher:

Hogrefe

Language:

English

Submitter:

Ulrich Orth

Date Deposited:

29 May 2017 15:54

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:02

Publisher DOI:

10.1027/1016-9040/a000259

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.95493

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/95493

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback