Perceived Partner Responsiveness as an Organizing Theme for the Study of Relationships

Monday, November 09, 2009

Harry Reis, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology, Dept of Clinical & Social Psychology
University of Rochester

By now the evidence appears incontrovertible that successful relationships are a source of great advantage in human well-being, whereas unsuccessful relationships contribute to distress, misery, and poor health. Despite hundreds of studies testifying to these associations, as yet the field has not developed clear models to characterize in a broad and conceptually inclusive way the relationship features that contribute to, or impair well-being. I propose that perceived partner responsiveness may represent one such theme. I will discuss this theme, illustrating it with evidence from three areas of research: the association between perceived partner responsiveness and well-being; how partner responses help individuals capitalize on personal good fortune; and the role of perceived partner responsiveness in self-regulation