Citation

Zayas V, Shoda Y. Person. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 2007; 33(1): 123-138.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. vaza@u.washington.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0146167206293493

PMID

17178935

Abstract

Are women who have been the victim of psychological abuse in the past more likely to prefer an abusive dating partner in the future? Are men who have been the perpetrator of abuse more likely to prefer a dating partner with high attachment anxiety, a characteristic associated with victims of abuse? The present research used a highly repeated, within-subject, multilevel approach to identify the characteristics of potential dating partners that constitute salient psychological ingredients of situations influencing partner preference. Study 1 found that college-age women who reported more instances of receiving psychological abuse, compared to women who did not, showed a stronger preference for male dating partners who possessed characteristics associated with an abusive personality (e.g., possessiveness). Study 2 found that college-age men who reported more instances of inflicting psychological abuse, compared to men who did not, showed a stronger preference for female dating partners characterized by high attachment anxiety.

Language: en