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9 - The dyadic nature of ideal and partner perceptions in romantic relationships

from Part II - Concepts and mechanisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2016

By
Lorne Campbell  and
Sarah Moroz
Edited by
C. Raymond Knee  and
Harry T. Reis
C. Raymond Knee
Affiliation:
University of Houston
Harry T. Reis
Affiliation:
University of Rochester, New York
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Summary

A core feature of romantic relationships is the interpersonal consequence of partners’ behavior on each other over time. The Ideal Standards Model (ISM) was developed with this in mind, but early research guided by this model focused more intently on understanding the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of individuals involved in romantic relationships. For example, determining how individuals evaluate the quality of their relationship based on how closely they perceive their partners match their standards for an ideal partner. More recent research has begun systematically testing the dyadic implications of partner’s perceived discrepancies. In this chapter we briefly outline the major tenets of the ISM, review research supporting predictions derived from the model, and discuss in more detail research focusing on the dyadic nature of ideal standards in a relationship context. We provide some thoughts on the direction of future research.
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Chapter
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Positive Approaches to Optimal Relationship Development , pp. 197 - 210
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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