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THE FIVE FACTORS OF PERSONALITY AND INTERPERSONAL ...

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CHAPTER I<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

According to Duck (1991), close relationships, more than any other factor, are the<br />

basis for personal happiness. These relationships provide a sense of belonging, worth, and<br />

closeness, as well as instrumental and emotional support Indeed, the absence of satisfying<br />

relationships has been linked to numerous problems, including suicide, depression, and<br />

family violence (Duck, 1991) As love and romance first develop in young adulthood,<br />

romantic relationships become extremely important (Cate & Lloyd, 1992) In fact.<br />

patterns of interaction that first appear in premarital relationships may be precursors to<br />

relationship processes deemed important for marital quality (eg . ability to resolve<br />

conflict) Thus, further study of relational characteristics is vital to the understanding of<br />

romantic relationship quality (eg. Cate & Lloyd, 1992)<br />

Past research on romantic relationships has followed two divergent paths One<br />

line of research has focused on the role of individual differences in close relationship<br />

outcomes This type of research has examined individual differences in personalit>' traits,<br />

beliefs, and emotions For example, research has shown that characteristics such as<br />

neuroticism, dysfunctional beliefs, and expressiveness are related to satisfaction in<br />

romantic relationships (Bradbury & Fincham, 1988, Kelly & Conley. 1987, Kurdek.<br />

1991b) The other line of research has looked at how interpersonal behaviors are<br />

associated with relationship outcomes The study of such behaviors is important because<br />

relationships do not just happen, they must be initiated, developed, and maintained over

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