A double-edged sword: Self-concept clarity as a prospective predictor of romantic relationship satisfaction in the face of conflict

Although conflict between romantic partners may reduce their relationship satisfaction, personal characteristics of the dyad members are likely to attenuate this effect. This study examined the combined effects of conflict and self-concept clarity (SCC), pertaining to the clarity and coherence of self-perception, on relationship satisfaction among seventy-six adult couples (mean age = 30.44) who completed daily diaries for 21 consecutive days. As expected, the presence of daily conflict was contemporaneously associated with reduced daily relationship satisfaction. Additionally, higher-than-usual daily SCC was contemporaneously associated with higher daily relationship satisfaction. Importantly, we found a prospective three-way interaction between daily satisfaction, conflict, and daily deviation in SCC in predicting next-day satisfaction: On days in which individuals were satisfied with their relationship, had higher SCC, but also experienced conflict, they reported the strongest decrease in satisfaction on the following day. Practical implications for couples therapy include assessment and promotion of partners' sense of self-coherence and self-concept flexibility.