In negative life contexts men report a lower desire to end relationship if their partners are high in borderline behavioural characteristics. A quasiexperimental research

• Authors: Vlad Burtaverde , Todd K. Shackelford , Ștefan-Cosmin Ionescu , Maria Bumbănac , Eugen Avram

Abstracts

EN

We investigated the relationship between borderline symptoms in women and their partner’s desire to continue the relationship and relationship commitment in an aversive living environment using an experimental design. We aimed to highlight the adaptive mechanisms of borderline symptoms, which may materialize in reproductive advantages for women in aversive contexts. We conducted two experiments to test the same hypotheses. In Study 1, online participants were assigned to the experimental group (N = 123). The experimental scenario hypothesized having a relationship with a woman high in borderline characteristics, during an aversive life environment. The control group (N = 118) hypothesized having a relationship with a woman high in borderline characteristics, during normal living conditions. We repeated the same experimental manipulation using a within-subjects design in Study 2 (N = 171). Environmental conditions influenced the desire to end the relationship with women characterized by borderline symptoms; men had a lower desire to end the relationship with their partner in aversive life events than in normal living conditions. Thus, women’s borderline behavioral characteristics may bring mating benefits in aversive living environments.

Keywords

EN

mating; life history theory; borderline personality; evolutionary psychopathology

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie
• Journal: Studia Psychologica
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 5-16

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Vlad Burtaverde

• University of Bucharest, Romania

author

Todd K. Shackelford

• Oakland University, USA

author

Ștefan-Cosmin Ionescu

• National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Romania

author

Maria Bumbănac

• University of Bucharest, Romania

author

Eugen Avram

• University of Bucharest, Romania

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Identifiers

DOI

10.21697/sp.2022.22.2.01

Biblioteka Nauki

29433583