Exploration of the Relationship between Self-Esteem, Commitment, and Verbal Aggressiveness in Romantic Dating Relationships

Abstract

Using sociometer theory (Leary, 1999 Leary , M. R. ( 1999 ). Making sense of self-esteem . Current Directions in Psychological Science , 8 , 32 – 35 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), this study investigated the relationships between argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness, self and partner's perceived commitment levels, and self-esteem within romantic dating relationships. Survey results (n = 152) indicated that 1) a moderate relationship between one's self-esteem and one's perceived partner's commitment level existed, 2) a positive correlation between one's self-esteem and level of self-commitment existed, 3) self-esteem was negatively correlated with verbal aggressiveness, and 4) self-commitment did not mediate the relationship between self-esteem and verbal aggressiveness. Discussion of these findings and their significance are reviewed.