RELATIONAL SCHEMAS AND MARITAL FUNCTIONING

本研究的目的是确定关系图式在婚姻的长期过程中所起的作用。现有关于婚姻中关系图式(即对亲密关系的广泛心理表征，例如将一个人的关系视为一个团队的感知)的少量文献表明，这些广泛的认知可能对婚姻关系的正常运作具有重要影响。这篇文献关注的是相对年轻的婚姻，因此我们对关系图式在更成熟的婚姻中所起的作用知之甚少。以中等长度和长期婚姻为样本，研究将采取纵向和多方法的方法--包括叙事、行为、自我报告和生理数据。第一个目的是调查关系图式(从配偶的叙述中衡量)是否与婚姻互动的情感质量(从行为模式、自我报告的情感和生理方面衡量)相关。第二个目的是检验关系图式是否能够预测婚姻满意度和婚姻稳定性随时间的变化。第三个目标是考察关系图式是否随着婚姻年龄的增长而表现出趋同。婚姻困境和离婚对家庭成员的身心健康具有严重的负面影响；因此，需要对婚姻关系有更全面的了解。通过检查随时间推移的关系模式，并结合婚姻功能指数，这些研究有可能加强预防和改善婚姻功能障碍的策略。

The purpose of the proposed research is to determine the role played by relational schemas in the long-term course of marriage. The small existing literature on relational schemas (i.e., broad mental representations of close relationships, such as the perception of one's relationship as a team) in marriage suggests that these broad-level cognitions may have important implications for marital functioning. This literature has focused on relatively young marriages, thus we know very little about the role that relational schemas play in more mature marriages. With a sample of moderate-length and long-term marriages, the proposed studies will take a longitudinal and multi-method approach- involving narrative, behavioral, self-report, and physiological data. The first aim is to investigate whether relational schemas (measured from spouses' narratives) are associated with the emotional quality of marital interaction (measured from patterns of behavior, self-reported affect, and physiology). The second aim is to examine whether relational schemas can predict changes in marital satisfaction and marital stability over time. The third aim is to examine whether relational schemas show convergence as marriages age. Marital distress and divorce carry strong negative consequences for the mental and physical health of family members; thus, a more comprehensive understanding of marital relationships is needed. By examining relational schemas over time and in conjunction with indices of marital functioning, these studies have the potential to enhance strategies for preventing and ameliorating marital dysfunction.