Abstract

Drawing upon a sample of 460 individuals in committed romantic relationships, this study explored a key proposition of Self-Determination Theory: highly autonomous individuals are more likely to experience greater relationship quality and engage in pro-relationship behaviors. This study revealed that autonomy was indirectly associated with relationship satisfaction via a stress-communication process known as dyadic coping. Findings suggest when people feel autonomous, they may be motivated to seek support from or provide support to a romantic partner (i.e., dyadic coping), possibly because such behaviors are freely chosen, not controlled. Implications for privileging autonomy in relationship theory, research, and practice are discussed.

摘要

本研究以 460 名恋爱关系中的个体为样本，探索了自我决定理论的一个关键命题：高度自主的个体更有可能体验到更高的关系质量并参与亲关系行为。这项研究表明，自主性通过称为二元应对的压力沟通过程与关系满意度间接相关。研究结果表明，当人们感到自主时，他们可能会被激励去寻求浪漫伴侣的支持或提供支持（即二元应对），这可能是因为这种行为是自由选择的，而不是受控制的。讨论了在关系理论、研究和实践中赋予自主权的意义。