Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
Marital Satisfaction, Cognition, Post-Formal Thought, Blame, Relationships
Department
Psychology
Major
Psychology
Abstract
Post-formal thought, a recently identified fifth stage of developmental cognition, is a type of complex cognition initially present in emerging adulthood. It is more practical, flexible and dialectical than previous stages of cognition. Research has suggested the benefits of enhanced post-formal thought in intrapersonal functioning, as well as interpersonal functioning. In interpersonal functioning, social relationships provide an opportunity to think using post-formal cognition because two people often share different “truths” in a relationship which creates logical conflict that must be resolved to continue the relationship (Griffin et al, 2009). Using this framework, the current study aimed to further examine the complex cognition of post-formal thought in the context of romantic relationships, while specifically looking at the association between post-formal thought and marital satisfaction as impacted by the social behavior of blame projection. It was hypothesized that those who have enhanced post-formal thought project less blame onto their romantic partner, and thus have increased relationship satisfaction. A sample of 109 married individuals (43 men, 66 women) was recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed four self-reports surveys online. The findings supported past research that suggests blame towards one’s partner is negatively correlated to marital satisfaction (p< .03). However contrary to the hypothesis, post-formal thought was positively correlated with greater extent of partner blame, rather than negatively correlated (p< .01). The current study adds to the body of literature which has asserted that the more one blames their partner with negative attributions styles for events that take place within the relationship, the more dissatisfied one is with their relationship. This finding is especially relevant for clinical work in relationship counseling. Examining these interaction of post-formal thought can provide new information concerning the implications of this recently identified type of complex cognition.
Faculty Mentor
Cindy Miller-Perrin and Janet Trammell
Funding Source or Research Program
Not Identified
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
24-3-2017 2:00 PM
End Date
24-3-2017 3:00 PM
Included in
Marital Satisfaction: The Role of Post-Formal Thought and Partner Blame
Waves Cafeteria
Post-formal thought, a recently identified fifth stage of developmental cognition, is a type of complex cognition initially present in emerging adulthood. It is more practical, flexible and dialectical than previous stages of cognition. Research has suggested the benefits of enhanced post-formal thought in intrapersonal functioning, as well as interpersonal functioning. In interpersonal functioning, social relationships provide an opportunity to think using post-formal cognition because two people often share different “truths” in a relationship which creates logical conflict that must be resolved to continue the relationship (Griffin et al, 2009). Using this framework, the current study aimed to further examine the complex cognition of post-formal thought in the context of romantic relationships, while specifically looking at the association between post-formal thought and marital satisfaction as impacted by the social behavior of blame projection. It was hypothesized that those who have enhanced post-formal thought project less blame onto their romantic partner, and thus have increased relationship satisfaction. A sample of 109 married individuals (43 men, 66 women) was recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed four self-reports surveys online. The findings supported past research that suggests blame towards one’s partner is negatively correlated to marital satisfaction (p< .03). However contrary to the hypothesis, post-formal thought was positively correlated with greater extent of partner blame, rather than negatively correlated (p< .01). The current study adds to the body of literature which has asserted that the more one blames their partner with negative attributions styles for events that take place within the relationship, the more dissatisfied one is with their relationship. This finding is especially relevant for clinical work in relationship counseling. Examining these interaction of post-formal thought can provide new information concerning the implications of this recently identified type of complex cognition.