Psychology News
A team of researchers at the University of Bucharest, Romania, claimed that goal incongruence can harm romantic relationships. The study is published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
The Study
The researchers identified three goal-related aspects of romantic relationships. These include:
- Goal congruence, or shared goals between couples
- Goal support, or how much couples support each other’s goals
- Goal conflict, or partners’ incompatible or deliberate interference with each other’s goals
They also conducted a meta-analysis of 32 studies that examined the role of goal interdependence in couples’ relationship satisfaction and duration. They assessed factors like goal type and size, goal outcomes, and romantic relationship satisfaction.
The Findings
The results revealed that a couple’s approach to goals can determine their romantic relationship satisfaction and duration. It was found that couples with unified goals (where the couples are supportive of one another) report the most satisfaction, while those with conflicting or incongruent goals demonstrate the least satisfaction.
The authors added: “Our results provide evidence favoring the assumption that goal interdependence relates to romantic relationship functioning and support the importance of considering goal interdependence as an instrument for increasing relationship satisfaction in couples’ counseling.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Toma, A. M., Rusu, P. P., & Podina, I. R. (2022). The role of goal interdependence in couples’ relationship satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 026540752211289. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221128994