We examined the trajectories of remarried couples’ (N = 1161) positive and negative socioemotional behaviors, which reflect the expression of love versus hostility, in relation to remarital instability across the first 3 years of remarriage. The measures of behaviors included both self and partner reports. Guided by the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation model of marriage, we used multi-level modeling framework to test the proposed processes at between- and within-individual levels. Whereas self- and partner-reported positive behaviors predicted less remarital instability, self- and partner-reported negative behaviors predicted greater levels of remarital instability. Individual changes in self- and partner-reported positive behaviors related to less remarital instability and only changes in partner-reported negative behaviors were associated with increased remarital instability. Findings did not vary by gender or remarital profiles. The results provide support for the emergent distress model, suggesting that the path to remarital instability is rooted in gradually increasing negativity. Implications for practitioners are discussed.

我们检查了再婚夫妇的轨迹（N= 1161) 积极和消极的社会情绪行为，反映了爱与敌意的表达，与再婚前 3 年的再婚不稳定有关。行为测量包括自我报告和伴侣报告。在婚姻的脆弱性-压力-适应模型的指导下，我们使用多级建模框架在个人之间和个人内部测试了所提出的流程。自我和伴侣报告的积极行为预测较少的再婚不稳定，而自我和伴侣报告的消极行为预测更高水平的再婚不稳定。自我和伴侣报告的积极行为的个体变化与较少的再婚不稳定相关，只有伴侣报告的消极行为的变化与再婚不稳定的增加有关。调查结果没有因性别或再婚情况而异。结果为紧急困境模型提供了支持，表明导致再婚不稳定的途径植根于逐渐增加的消极情绪。讨论了对从业者的影响。