Personality Pathology and Spouses' Moment-to-Moment Interpersonal Behaviors.

We assessed the association of personality pathology with romantic couples' observed interpersonal behaviors. Couples engaged in four discussion tasks, after which observers used the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics method to continuously rate each participant's dominance and warmth over the course of each discussion. Using these ratings, we derived indices of average behaviors and changes in behaviors over the course of discussions. Generally, results indicated that the more personality pathology either spouse reported, the colder husbands were on average, and the colder they became toward their wives over time. However, personality disorder symptoms and overall interpersonal problems were largely unassociated with wives' behaviors. Results also indicated that the more dominance-related problems husbands and wives reported, the more dominantly and coldly they behaved, the more submissive or withdrawn their partners were, and the colder wives became over time; and the more warmth problems wives reported, the more dominantly, they behaved.

Social Anhedonia and Romantic Relationship Processes.

OBJECTIVE: Social anhedonia is a deficiency in the capacity to experience pleasure from social interactions. This study examined the implications of social anhedonia for romantic relationship functioning, including the association of social anhedonia with sentiments toward romantic partners that are central to relationship functioning (satisfaction, commitment, regard for the partner, and care for the partner's welfare) and analogous perceptions of the partner's sentiments. METHOD: Data were collected from 281 participants who were involved in romantic relationships. RESULTS: Social anhedonia predicted less satisfaction, regard, and care, and these effects were independent of attachment insecurity and self-esteem. In addition, social anhedonia had an indirect negative effect on commitment via attachment avoidance. Social anhedonia also predicted more negative perceptions of the partner's sentiments. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that social anhedonia may undermine the functioning of romantic relationships by reducing positive sentiments toward partners and security in the partner's sentiments toward the self.