The regulation of psychological distance in long-distance relationships [Elektronische Ressource] / Fanny V. Jimenez. Gutachter: Jens B. Asendorpf ; Hans-Werner Bierhoff ; Brooke C. Feeney

Fanny V. Jimenez

Sujets

• Psychologie

Informations

• Publié par: humboldt-universitat_zu_berlin
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The regulation of psychological distance in
long-distance relationships
D i s s e r t a t i o n
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.)
im Fach Psychologie
eingereicht an der
Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät II
der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
von
M.A. Fanny V. Jimenez,

Präsident der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Markschies
Dekan der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät II:
Prof. Dr. Peter Frensch

1. Gutachten: Prof. Dr. Jens B. Asendorpf, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
2. Gutachten: Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Bierhoff, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
3. Gutachten: Prof. Dr. Brooke C. Feeney, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh

eingereicht: 12. Mai 2010
Datum der Disputation: 16.07.2010















LOVE KNOWS NOT ITS OWN DEPTH UNTIL THE HOUR OF SEPARATION.
-Khalil Gibran I
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Jens B. Asendorpf, my advisor and first
reader of this dissertation, for inviting me to work with him at the Humboldt-Universität zu
Berlin. His excellent, unbeatably fast and consistent feedback and ideas guided me through all
stages of this dissertation, and the creativity and flexibility in his thinking created an inspiring
and challenging working environment.
I am also very grateful to the International Max Planck Research School LIFE for allowing
me to generate this dissertation in a stimulating, interdisciplinary, and supportive working
environment. I would like to thank the directors of the LIFE research school as well as the
coordinators for their faithful and committed efforts, especially Imke Kruse, who found an
answer to every question, and a solution for every problem.
I shared many precious and helpful moments with the people I met through LIFE, such as
Tabea Reuter, Karen Bartling, and Annette Brose, who I would like to thank for their warmth,
honesty and optimism.
I am also indebted to my co-workers, especially Wiebke Neberich, for her sharp mind, ideas,
and support, as well as Konrad Schnabel, who, with his genuine kindness and enthusiasm,
always put a smile on my face. My gratitude also goes to Jutta Katzer and Harald Schneider,
who helped me out several times when I thought of something last minute.
I would also like to express my gratitude to the dissertation committee, Ursula Hess for being
the head of the committee, and Jens B. Asendorpf, Hans-Werner Bierhoff, and Brooke C.
Feeney for writing a review of my dissertation.
Another thank you goes to my two diploma thesis students, Hanna Endriss and Regina
Hinzen, who did not hesitate to ask any question that was on their minds and hearts. You re-
minded me of my first ideas that I had when starting this project and helped me focus.
Also, I am very grateful to Tobi and Marcus for crash coursing the secrets of HTML with me,
Alexei for sending good thoughts and programming help from Hamburg, and Kathrin, who
tried to make me fluent in PHP and SQL in the shortest amount of time with endless patience,
resistance for error messages, and scientific ambition.
I wish to thank my friends for being there no matter what happened, for listening, reading,
writing, and waiting for phone calls, mails, or me in person. Thank you Jule and Oli for mak-
ing me feel so very home whenever we meet, to Josi and Jens for making things easy when II
they are not, to Janina, Johanna, Cathy, and Anna for being amazingly supportive and com-
passionate, to Lisa and Malice for baby sitting, dishwashing, grocery shopping, and for mak-
ing me laugh and see the world in a different light, to Marie for thinking along more than pos-
sible, and to Christoph, Thomas, and Micha for walking by my side through the years.
Thank you to my entire family, distant or not, for supporting and believing in me. I am deeply
grateful to my parents and grandparents for believing that what I did was important, for lifting
me up and calming me down, and for being an unconditional source of love and understand-
ing at all times. I would like to especially thank my brother Dennis along with Suse for help-
ing me think and breathe when I thought I couldn’t, for letting me rob their fridge and coffee
and leave a mess on their dinner table.
Finally, I would like to thank my little Marley for being a blessing in my life, reminding me
of what matters, and stopping time for me when I thought there wasn’t any.
And thank you, Jose, for believing and showing me that love can overcome any distance, may
it be of inner or outer nature, and making me more sensitive, aware, and stronger than I ever
thought I could be. III
Abstract
This dissertation explored adaptive processes that reflect and regulate psychological distance
in long-distance relationships (LDRs). It proposed how relationship quality and stability is
maintained without physical presence of the partner by basing many compensatory processes
on perceived partner availability, a core component of attachment theory (Bowlby,
1969/1980). In manuscript I, LDRs indicated more attachment anxiety and less avoidance
than proximal relationships (PRs). Anxiety was found to be associated with contextual factors
in LDRs, and slightly increased for individuals still in LDRs one year later. Anxiety tended to
be somewhat less detrimental to relationship satisfaction in PRs, and avoidance less detrimen-
tal in LDRs. In manuscript II, the two communicative behaviors shared everyday decisions
(SHARED) and constructive communication partially and differentially mediated the associa-
tion between the attachment orientations anxiety and avoidance and relationship satisfaction
and commitment. SHARED, but not constructive communication predicted relationship sta-
bility over and above the attachment orientations and relationship length. In manuscript III,
sexual satisfaction in LDRs could be conceptualized as a mutual-influence model. In both a
couple and individual sample, sexual difficulties during visits and relationship satisfaction
were found to be its most influential predictors. The link between relationship satisfaction and
sexual satisfaction was weaker for highly anxious than for low anxious, and weaker for
women than for men. The findings indicate that while partners are rather independent from
one another in LDRs, heightened anxiety reflects the inconsistent partner availability, and is
less detrimental to relationship development than avoidance. Attachment further regulated the
psychological distance between partners by influencing adaptive and protective communica-
tive processes. There was indication that when relational aspects, such as sexual satisfaction,
cannot be compensated for, LDRs base their evaluation on face-to-face experiences and gen-
eral relationship quality indicators.

Keywords:
long-distance relationship, attachment, relationship satisfaction, relationship dynamics IV
Zusammenfassung
Diese Dissertation untersuchte individuelle Anpassungsprozesse, die psychologische Distanz
in Fernbeziehungen (FB) reflektieren und regulieren. Es wurde postuliert, dass Beziehungs-
qualität und -stabilität ohne Präsenz des Partners gesichert wird, indem viele kompensatori-
schen Prozesse auf die wahrgenommene Verfügbarkeit des Partners (Bowlby, 1969/1980),
abzielen. In Manuskript I gaben FBs mehr Bindungsängstlichkeit an als Zusammenwohnende
(ZW), obwohl diese für FBs mit niedrigerer Beziehungszufriedenheit einherging als für ZWs.
Vermeidung dagegen war bei ZWs erhöht und ging dort mit niedrigerer Beziehungszufrie-
denheit einher als in FBs. Bindungsängstlichkeit war mit Kontextfaktoren der FB assoziiert,
und stieg für Personen, die nach einem Jahr noch immer in einer FB waren, leicht an. In Ma-
nuskript II mediierten gemeinsame Entscheidungsprozesse (SHARED) und konstruktive
Kommunikation in Konfliktsituationen partiell und differenziell den Zusammenhang zwi-
schen Bindung und Beziehungsqualität. SHARED sagte darüber hinaus auch nach Kontrolle
von Beziehungslänge und Bindung die Stabilität der Beziehung vorher. In Manuskript III
konnte sexuelle Zufriedenheit in FBs als ein mutual-influence model dargestellt werden. So-
wohl in einer Individual- als auch einer Paarstichprobe waren sexuelle Schwierigkeiten beim
Sehen and Beziehungszufriedenheit die einflussreichsten Prädiktoren. Die Assoziation zwi-
schen Beziehungszufriedenheit und sexueller Zufriedenheit war schwächer für Hoch-, als für
Niedrigängstliche, und schwächer für Frauen als für Männer. Die Ergebnisse zeigen dass,
obwohl FB Partner relativ unabhängig voneinander sind, erhöhte Bindungsängstlichkeit die
inkonsistente Verfügbarkeit des Partners reflektiert, und insgesamt für die Beziehungsent-
wicklung weniger schädlich ist als Vermeidung. Bindung reguliert ferner die psychologische
Distanz durch den Einfluss auf adaptive Kommunikationsprozesse. Wenn Aspekte wie sexu-
elle Zufriedenheit nicht kompensiert werden können, scheinen FBs ihre Einschätzung stark
auf Momente des Sehens und d