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When forming a relationship, people can to some extent include their partner’s resources, perspectives and identities in their own identity (i.e., inclusion of the other in the self, or IOS). In this study, which was conducted with 169 couples, we examine the association of three sources of IOS: (a) the IOS of one member of the relationship; (b) the IOS of their partner; and (c) the similarity of both partners’ IOS with indicators of relational quality (partner conflicts, satisfaction with the relationship and sexual satisfaction) and quality of life (life satisfaction and stress). Using a multilevel approach, the results showed that higher IOS was related to higher levels of relational quality in the person and their partner, and with higher levels of quality of life in the person but not in their partner. Likewise, couples showed a strong similarity in IOS, which was indicative of higher relational quality and quality of life. These results underscore the importance of analysing the (inter)personal mechanisms and their consequences at different levels (i.e., individual and couple)., Al formar una relación, las personas pueden incluir en cierta medida los recursos, perspectivas e identidades de su pareja en su propia identidad (i.e., inclusión del otro en el yo; IOS, por sus siglas en inglés). En esta investigación, realizada con 169 parejas, examinamos la asociación de tres fuentes de IOS: (a) la IOS de un miembro de la relación, (b) la IOS de su pareja, (c) la similitud en IOS entre ambos miembros de la relación con indicadores de calidad relacional (conflictos de pareja, satisfacción con la relación y satisfacción sexual) y vital (satisfacción con la vida y estrés). Siguiendo una aproximación multinivel, los resultados mostraron que una mayor IOS se relacionó, por un lado, con mayores niveles de calidad relacional en la propia persona y en su pareja y, por otro, con mayores niveles de calidad vital en la propia persona, pero no en su pareja. Asimismo, las parejas mostraron una alta similitud en IOS, la cual fue indicativa de una mayor calidad tanto relacional como vital. Estos resultados subrayan la importancia de analizar los mecanismos (inter)personales y sus consecuencias a diferentes niveles (i.e., individual y pareja).

Prior research indicated that lack of power leads to emotional suppression and low emotional expression during conflicts among strangers. However, little is known about how power affects emotional inhibition in close relationships, where partners are highly interdependent, and achieving one’s goals greatly depends on their partner’s cooperation. In three studies among romantic couples (total N = 994), we examined whether (a) power is related to emotional inhibition during conflicts, (b) perceived partner responsiveness moderates this effect and, (c) which conflict-resolution responses are subsequently enacted. Findings consistently showed that powerless individuals were more likely to inhibit their emotions and consequently to use passive responses during conflicts. However, this only occurred when they perceived lack of responsiveness from their partner. If the partner was perceived as responsive (i.e., showed care, validation, and understanding), power was not related to emotional inhibition and passive resolutions. The importance of partner’s responses in relation to power asymmetry is discussed., Depto. de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial, Fac. de Psicología, TRUE, pub

This research aims to elucidate the connection of perceived health and financial threat linked to the COVID-19 pandemic with the willingness to engage in prosocial and antisocial behaviors, while also testing the potential mediating role of empathic concern. During the lockdown period, a sample of Spanish community members (N = 702) filled in a multi-measure online survey. Our results revealed that (a) COVID-19 health (but not financial) threat predicted a greater tendency to express prosocial actions, (b) none of these forms of COVID-19 threat predicted antisocial inclinations, and (c) empathic concern mediated the effects of COVID-19 health threat on both prosocial and antisocial tendencies. Findings speak to the ongoing debate about whether individuals most psychologically impacted by the pandemic would tend to respond in a more prosocial or antisocial manner., Depto. de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial, Fac. de Psicología, TRUE, pub

Socioeconomic status (SES) is a complex and multidimensional construct, encompassing both independent objective characteristics (e.g., income or education) and subjective people’s ratings of their placement in the socioeconomic spectrum. Within the growing literature on subjective SES belongingness and psychological well-being, subjective indices of SES have tended to center on the use of pictorial rank-related social ladders where individuals place themselves relative to others by simultaneously considering their income, educational level, and occupation. This approach, albeit consistent with the idea of these social ladders as summative or cognitive SES markers, might potentially constrain individuals’ conceptions of their SES. This research (N = 368; Mage = 39.67, SD = 13.40) is intended to expand prior investigations on SES and psychological well-being by revisiting the role of subjective SES. In particular, it (a) proposes an innovative adaptation of the traditional MacArthur Scale of subjective SES to income, education, and occupation, thus resulting in three separate social ladders; and (b) tests the empirical contribution of such three social ladders to psychological well-being. Overall, our findings showed that the novel education and occupation ladders (excluding the income ladder) are predictive of a significant part of the variance levels of psychological well-being that is not due to canonical objective metrics of SES (i.e., income, education, and occupation), or to the conventional MacArthur Scale of subjective SES. Although preliminary, these results underscore the need to further reconsider (subjective) SES-related conceptualization and measurement strategies to gather a more comprehensive understanding of the SES-psychological well-being link., Depto. de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial, Fac. de Psicología, TRUE, pub

Recent research suggests that perceived economic threat constitutes a valid predictor of people’s attitudes and behaviors. While accumulated empirical evidence has mostly underlined the deleterious psychological effects (e.g., reduced psychological well-being) of perceived economic threat in times of economic strain, we postulate that individuals experiencing higher economic threat linked to the Spanish economic crisis are more prone to engage in other-beneficial prosocial behavior. Across two independently collected community samples, we tested this theoretical formulation and examined the potential mediating roles of empathic concern (Studies 1 & 2) and identification (Study 2). Study 1 (N = 306) revealed that participants who descended in the social scale due to the negative national economic context were engaged in a larger number of helping behaviors over the last three months compared to participants who did not descend the social ladder—independently of several sociodemographic and ideological factors. Moreover, our data indicated these effects were driven by increased empathic concern. Study 2 (N = 588), in which two hypothetical helping-behavior scenarios were randomly administered (crisis-related vs. control), showed that participants under high perceived financial threat exhibited an undifferentiated pattern of prosociality. However, moderated-mediation analyses indicated that empathic concern explained the perceived financial threat-helping behavior link in the hypothetical crisis-related scenario but not in the hypothetical control scenario. Together, these findings extend prior literature on the psychosocial effects of perceived economic threat and the determinants of other-oriented behavior. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed., Depto. de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial, Fac. de Psicología, TRUE, pub

Conflicts that arise in romantic relationships can be one of the greatest causes of suffering when they are not faced appropriately. Through two studies, this research analyses the differential effect of gender and the influence of emotional intelligence on conflict-facing responses, as well as their consequences at an individual and relationship level. In Study 1, we examined the existence of gender differences during conflicts through four independent samples of subjects (N = 727). After meta-analysing the results, we observed that women responded more expressively and loyally to conflict, while men had a more negligent response. In our observations in Study 2 (N = 185), emotional intelligence became a key factor in promoting a constructive response to face conflicts that is adopted by both women and men. Moreover, emotional intelligence finally favours their psychological well-being and satisfaction with the relationship. This research shows the importance of emotional skills in confronting conflicts that originate in intimate contexts such as romantic relationships and their consequences to both men and women., Depto. de Psicología Social, del Trabajo y Diferencial, Fac. de Psicología, TRUE, pub

Sexual coercion is among the subtlest forms of sexual violence in an intimate relationship and sometimes goes unnoticed by victims. The present study analyzed factors that potentially mitigate women’s negative perceptions of intimate partner sexual coercion (IPSC). A total of 427 women completed an online survey, in which they were shown vignettes illustrating a growing risk of sexual coercion according to the perpetrators’ use of different coercive tactics. Participants replied to questions that reflected their risk perception, their perceptions of perpetrator behavior, and the probability of their leaving the relationship. The survey also queried their previous IPSC experience, and their degree of acceptance of sexual aggression myths. According to the results, women exposed to positive (vs. negative) verbal sexual coercion (VSC) condition decided to leave the abusive situation later (risk response), presented a longer time lag between the moment they recognized the risk and the moment they responded to it, perceived the perpetrator’s behavior as more acceptable and excusable, and were less likely to leave the relationship. Finally, greater myth acceptance and previous IPSC experience predicted a lower probability of leaving the relationship, due to delayed risk responses and to perceiving the perpetrator’s behavior as more acceptable and excusable. This was true regardless of the type of coercive tactic used by the perpetrator. The results highlight the need to consider the type of coercive tactic, previous experience, and myths acceptance as risk factors that may impede a woman to adequately perceive and respond to an intimate partner’s sexual violence.

This multistudy investigation is focused on the analysis of theoretically relevant compassion-related appraisals (i.e., similarity with the person in need, attribution of responsibility, and help-related perceived efficacy) that may promote compassionate responses in the context of adversity. Study 1 (N = 384) revealed that a higher similarity with the person in need, lower attribution of responsibility, and higher help-related perceived efficacy were associated with increased compassion, which, in turn, was associated with a greater desire to help. Study 2 (N = 319) extended prior findings by examining whether this compassionate pathway could be modulated by perspective taking, which is the act of considering the feelings of others in need. Results showed that the compassionate pathway found in Study 1 seems to remain constant regardless of perspective-taking instructions (e.g., imagining how that person feels vs. remaining objective and detached). In this research, we point out a promising direction for interventions directed at enhancing compassion and prosocial tendencies in distressing contexts.