Emotional intelligence (EI), conflict resolution patterns, and relationship satisfaction: Actor and partner effects revisited

Abstract

This study tested for actor and partner effects in the relationship between ability-based EI and adaptive marital relationships and satisfaction employing a standard dyadic design involving 100 young heterosexual couples. Participants were assessed on the MSCEIT along with measures of conflict resolution patterns and perceived marital satisfaction. A series of path analyses provided support for actor effects—but not partner effects—in the association of EI, assessed as ability, and marital variables. Overall, the data provide only partial support for the common claim and some prior research suggesting that EI plays a pivotal role in marital relationships.

Introduction

In many ways, emotional intelligence (EI) has been heralded as a promising new construct in psychological science that is directed towards improving the human condition, including close personal relationships (Fitness, 2001, Zeidner et al., 2009). Popular definitions of EI are varied and inconsistent, with EI assessed in the literature both as a trait (e.g., Pérez, Petrides, & Furnham, 2005) and as ability (Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 1999). Following Salovey and Mayer, we loosely define EI as a set of inter-related abilities for identifying, understanding, applying, and regulating emotions.

Emotional intelligence and related emotional and social competencies often help convey important information about people’s thoughts and intentions, and may help considerably in coordinating social encounters, particularly close personal relationships (Lopes et al., 2004). In fact, in emotional transmission, one partner’s competencies and behaviors can increase positive (and negative!) effects in the other partner (Hatfield, Cacioppo, & Rapson, 1994). Although there are multiple factors determining marital satisfaction and quality of personal relationships (Murray, Holmes, & Griffin, 1996), this study focuses on one putatively important predictor of marital relations and satisfaction—EI.

We begin our review of the literature by briefly discussing the link between marital conflict and satisfaction and then move onto discuss the role of EI in marital life.

Marital conflict arises because of disagreement or conflict over personal goals, intentions, values, interests, or behavioral priorities. Most married couples find themselves engaged in some kind of conflict throughout their marriage. In young couples, as is the case in this study, issues relating to mutual adjustment (managing money, relating to in-laws, etc.) bring to the couple new problems and this in turn portends exacting demands on their capacities to communicate (Navran, 1967).

Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data reviewed show that conflictual interactions predict marital satisfaction and stability (Karney & Bradbury, 1995). The use of mutually constructive discussion and direct conflict resolution strategies may enhance intimacy among partners (Christensen & Shenk, 1991). By contrast, less adaptive strategies (e.g., mutual avoidance of problem discussions, demand-withdrawal communication) can lead to marital unhappiness and dissolution (Noller & Feeney, 2002). Furthermore, perceived relationship quality (or satisfaction) is one of the strongest predictors of marriage stability and duration, as well as a robust predictor of psychological and physical health (Horowitz, McLaughlin, & White, 1998).

EI has been claimed to be an important factor contributing to relationship stability and happiness (Fitness, 2001). In order for partners to cope successfully with ongoing stresses and emotional fissures, their skill in identifying, understanding, and regulating their own emotions and those of their partners becomes critical (Fitness, 2001). Thus, EI has been claimed to help individuals to maintain positive emotional interactions, communicate and handle conflicts more effectively, and regulate their emotions better, thus facilitating solutions during marital conflicts and contribute to marital well-being (Fitness, 2001).

However, the role of EI in shaping close interpersonal relationships has received only scant support in the literature, with only a handful of studies (e.g., Brackett et al., 2006, Fitness, 2001, Schutte et al., 2001) systematically examining the association between EI and close personal relationships. Overall, these studies indicated significant EI ‘actor’ effects (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006, pp. 144–184) in predicting marital satisfaction. However, because sound dyadic designs and analyses were not employed in any of the foregoing studies, ‘partner’ effects could not be tested and the tenability and the generalizability of the reported results remain limited.

In a more recent study, employing a methodologically appropriate dyadic design, Smith, Ciarrochi, and Heaven (2008) examined the relationship between trait self-reports of EI, conflict communication patterns, and relationship satisfaction in 82 cohabiting heterosexual couples. The data showed that those high on EI were also more satisfied with their relationship and handled conflicts more adaptively, thus indicating tenable ‘actor effects’. However, no significant ‘partner’ effects were found, suggesting that an individual’s own level of EI has no reliable effect on the partner’s conflict resolution patterns or satisfaction with the relationship.

A major concern regarding Smith et al.’s study is that all data were based on self-report. Specifically, the trait measure of EI used in their study does not directly tap people’s emotional abilities but rather people’s self-reported beliefs about their emotional abilities. Recent research indicates that self-report EI measures are highly correlated with established measures of psychological well-being and personality (Brackett & Mayer, 2003) and may therefore contain a great deal of unwanted variance. Furthermore, the significant actor effects in the relationship between EI and marital variables may be accounted for by common method variance in both sets of ratings.

In view of the shortcomings of prior research, a major goal of this study was to assess actor and partner effect of ability-based EI with respect to marital communications and perceived marital quality (satisfaction). By using an ability-based measure of EI, we hoped to be able to rule out the possibility of common construct variance in the event that actor effects are observed.

Following from established connections between person variables and perceptions of couples’ conflict communication patterns (Heaven, Smith, Prabhakar, Abraham, & Mete, 2006), it was anticipated that EI scores will be positively associated with perceptions of constructive conflict resolution patterns and negatively associated with perceptions of demanding and withdrawing and avoidance and withholding patterns. Furthermore, based on the assumption that EI is an enduring resource for adaptive marital relationships, along with some prior research, EI was hypothesized to be significantly related to the perceived quality of marital satisfaction. Based on the assumption that a defining feature of an intimate relationship is that one partner’s psychological competencies, states, and actions have the capacity to influence those of the other partner (Rushbult & van Lange, 1996), significant ‘actor’ as well as ‘partner’ effects were examined in the nexus of EI and marital variables.

In addition, we tested for the potential mediating role of conflict resolution patterns in the relationship between EI and perceived quality of marriage. Finally, we examined the relationship between EI similarity and satisfaction, as few studies have taken the profile similarity approach in the examination of the association between similarity on personal traits and marital satisfaction (Luo et al., 2008).