Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to submit your manuscript to SPPS

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rosenbluth, S. C.
Right arrow Articles by Steil, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Predictors of Intimacy for Women in Heterosexual and Homosexual Couples

Susan C. Rosenbluth

New York Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center rosenbluth.susan{at}forum.va.gov

Janice M. Steil

Adelphi University

This study investigated individual differences in self-esteem, capacity for intimacy, relationship values and influence strategy use as factors in self-reported intimacy levels for women in homosexual and heterosexual couples. There were no differences by relationship type in levels of self-esteem, capacity for intimacy or in the valuing of relationship qualities. Women in both types of couples described their relationships as highly intimate and reported using Direct/Bilateral influence strategies most frequently. For both groups, higher levels of relationship intimacy were associated with more frequent use of Direct/Bilateral strategies and less frequent use of Indirect/Unilateral and Indirect/Bilateral strategies. Capacity for intimacy and self-esteem were strongly positively related to intimacy for women in same-sex but not cross-sex couples. The best predictor of intimacy for women in heterosexual couples was a negative one: more frequent use of Indirect strategies was associated with lower levels of intimacy.

Key Words: couples • influence strategies • intimacy • self-esteem • values

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 12, No. 2, 163-175 (1995)
DOI: 10.1177/0265407595122001
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Journal of Social and Personal RelationshipsHome page
L. A. Kurdek
Differences between Gay and Lesbian Cohabiting Couples
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, August 1, 2003; 20(4): 411 - 436.
[Abstract] [PDF]