Dispositional authenticity and romantic relationships in early and middle adulthood women

Abstract

Romantic relationships are a mass phenomenon, which is a powerful resource for coping with life difficulties and at the same time a source of dramatic experiences. In this study, romantic relationships are studied in connection with the severity of personality authenticity. The study involved 266 women aged 18 to 60 years with experience of heterosexual relationships of varying duration. Personality questionnaires were applied to measure the level of dispositional authenticity, as well as the quality of romantic relationships: anxiety, avoidance of intimacy, relationship satisfaction, intimacy, passion and commitment, taking risks of intimacy, absence of lies and deception, and the level of authenticity of the relationship. The correlation analysis has shown that the higher the authenticity of women, the higher the quality of relationships. Relationships of highly authentic women are characterized by a sense of intimacy, maintaining emotional contact, lack of fear of intimacy, significantly lower levels of anxiety, and an effort to maintain realistic representations of oneself and a partner despite potential risks. Highly authentic women are more satisfied with the relationship, evaluate the partner as meeting their expectations and needs. In women with low authenticity, a decrease in psychological distance in relationships is associated with anxiety and unwillingness to self-disclosure.