Relational maintenance strategies and equity in marriage

TLDR

The study investigates how relational maintenance strategies are used and perceived, hypothesizing greater use in equitable relationships and exploring their role in overbenefited relationships. Using equity theory, the authors assess self‑reported and perceived maintenance strategies and equity to predict relational characteristics such as control mutuality, liking, and commitment. Results show that perceived equity aligns with use and perception of maintenance strategies, with variations by spouse, and that both self‑reported and perceived strategies predict control mutuality, liking, and commitment.

Abstract

Utilizing equity theory, this study extends previous research on maintenance strategies. The manner in which relational maintenance strategies are reported and perceived is examined. It was hypothesized that maintenance strategies are used more in equitable relationships than in relationships characterized by underbenefitedness. Further, the use of maintenance efforts by individuals in overbenefited relationships was explored. In addition, this study examined the relative contribution of self‐reported maintenance strategies, perception of partners’ maintenance strategies, and equity in predicting the relational characteristics. Overall, the level of felt equity was found to be related to individuals’ use of, and perceptions of partners’ use of, maintenance strategies in a pattern consistent with equity theory. However, the findings varied somewhat when relying on wives’ versus husbands’ equity judgments. Moreover, self‐reported maintenance strategies as well as perceptions of partners’ maintenance strategies predicted the relational characteristics of control mutuality, liking, and commitment.