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When Romantic Partners’ Goals Conflict: Effects on Relationship Quality and Subjective Well-Being

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Abstract

Most studies have explored goal pursuit from an intraindividual perspective; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that people’s relationships influence many aspects of goal pursuit (Fitzsimons and Finkel in Curr Direct Psychol Sci 19(2):101–105, 2010). The current study examined the influence of goal conflict between romantic partners on relationship quality and the subjective well-being of the partners. In a sample of 105 dating couples (N = 210) both partners provided ratings of their subjective well-being, relationship quality, and the degree of conflict they experience when trying to pursue their goals. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct dyadic analyses on the variables. Results showed that both partners’ reports of higher goal conflict were directly associated with lower relationship quality and lower subjective well-being. Lower relationship quality was, in turn, also associated with lower subjective well-being. Furthermore, one partner’s report of goal conflict was indirectly related to the other partner’s subjective well-being through relationship quality. These findings indicate that relational influences on goal pursuit have implications not only for goal pursuit but also for well-being and relationship quality.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council standard research grant awarded to Ulrich Schimmack.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada

    Judith Gere & Ulrich Schimmack

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  1. Judith Gere
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  2. Ulrich Schimmack
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Correspondence to Judith Gere.

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Gere, J., Schimmack, U. When Romantic Partners’ Goals Conflict: Effects on Relationship Quality and Subjective Well-Being. J Happiness Stud 14, 37–49 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9314-2

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