The Role of Self-concept Clarity in Relationship Quality

Previous research has linked self-concept clarity to positive outcomes (Campbell et al., 1996), but has not systematically explored its potential positive association with relationship quality. The current set of studies hypothesizes that self-concept clarity will positively correlate with relationship satisfaction and commitment, and that inclusion of other in the self and self-esteem will mediate the association. Study 1 examined correlations between self-report measures from 199 undergraduates, while Study 2 randomly assigned 78 undergraduates to either engage in a self-concept clarity or self-concept confusion manipulation. As hypothesized, in both studies, higher self-concept clarity was associated with higher relationship satisfaction and commitment. Inclusion of other in the self and self-esteem mediated the association between self-concept clarity and relationship quality measures (the only exception was for self-esteem and commitment in Study 1). These results demonstrate how a person's self-concept relates to romantic relationship quality.