Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T21:11:10.176Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Changes in Self-Silencing From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood and Associations With Relationship Quality and Coping With Relationship Stressors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 December 2018

Shmuel Shulman ,
Jerika C. Norona ,
Miri Scharf ,
Ido Ziv  and
Deborah P. Welsh
Shmuel Shulman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Jerika C. Norona*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Miri Scharf
Affiliation:
Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Ido Ziv
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, College of Management, Rishon Le'Zion, Israel
Deborah P. Welsh
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Jerika C. Norona at 305 Austin Peay Building, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Self-silencing is a tendency to suppress the expression of thoughts and opinions from a romantic partner due to the fear that this self-expression would lead to a dissolution of the relationship. The aim of the current study was to assess the longitudinal effects of self-silencing during adolescence and its change across time in the context of future romantic relationships at the age of 23. In the current study, the level of self-silencing was assessed among 144 adolescents (86 females) aged 16–18 years (mean age = 16.57 years). Seven years later at the age of 23, participants reported again on the level of self-silencing, the quality of their romantic relationships, and their ability to cope with romantic stressors. Employing regression analyses, results showed that self-silencing at age 16 predicted more concealment. In addition, changes in self-silencing over time explained the variance within future levels of concealment, partner support, relationship certainty, and posttraumatic growth. Embedded within a developmental framework, our results illuminate the importance of considering both initial levels of relational vulnerabilities and their change over time in future romantic relationships.

Keywords

self-silencingadolescenceemerging adulthooddating relationships
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 9 , 2018 , e21
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arnett, J.J. (2015). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bryant, A.N. (2003). Changes in attitudes toward women's roles: Predicting gender-role traditionalism among college students. Sex Roles, 48, 131–142. doi:10.1023/A:1022451205292Google Scholar
Donnellan, M.B., Conger, R.D., & Burzette, R.G. (2007). Personality development from late adolescence to young adulthood: Differential stability, normative maturity, and evidence for the maturity-stability hypothesis. Journal of Personality, 75, 237–264.Google Scholar
Donnellan, M.B., Larsen-Rife, D., & Conger, R.D. (2005). Personality, family history, and competence in early adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 562–576. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.88.3.562Google Scholar
Fabes, R.A., Hanish, L.D., Martin, C.L., & Eisenberg, N. (2002). Young children's negative emotionality and social isolation: A latent growth curve analysis. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 48, 284–307. doi: 10.1353/mpq.2002.0012Google Scholar
Field, T., Diego, M., Pelaez, M., Deeds, O., & Delgado, J. (2010). Breakup distress and loss of intimacy in university students. Psychology, 1, 173–177. doi:10.4236/psych.2010.13023Google Scholar
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E.L., & Target, M. (2002). Affect regulation, mentalization, and the development of the self. New York, NY: Other Press.Google Scholar
Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1985). Children's perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. Developmental Psychology, 21, 1016–1024. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.21.6.1016Google Scholar
Furman, W., & Collibee, C. (2014). A matter of timing: Developmental theories of romantic involvement and psychosocial adjustment. Development and Psychopathology, 26, 1149–1160.Google Scholar
Galliher, R.V., & Bentley, C.G. (2010). Links between rejection sensitivity and adolescent romantic relationship functioning: The mediating role of problem-solving behaviors. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 19, 603–623. doi: 10.1080/10926771.2010.502066Google Scholar
Hafen, C.A., Spilker, A., Chango, J., Marston, E.S., & Allen, J.P. (2014). To accept or reject? The impact of adolescent rejection sensitivity on early adult romantic relationships. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24, 55–64. doi: 10.1111/jora.12081Google Scholar
Haines, B.A., Metalsky, G.I., Cardamone, A.L., & Joiner, T. (1999). Interpersonal and cognitive pathways into the origins of attributional style: A developmental perspective. In Joiner, T. & Coyne, J.C. (Eds.), The interactional nature of depression: Advances in interpersonal approaches (pp. 65–92). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Hankin, B.L. (2008). Stability of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression: A short-term prospective multiwave study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117, 324–333. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.117.2.324Google Scholar
Hankin, B.L., Oppenheimer, C., Jenness, J., Barrocas, A., Shapero, B.G., & Goldband, J. (2009). Developmental origins of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression: Review of processes contributing to stability and change across time. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65, 1327–1338. doi:10.1002/jclp.20625Google Scholar
Harper, M.S., Dickson, J.W., & Welsh, D.P. (2006). Self-silencing and rejection sensitivity in adolescent romantic relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 459–467. doi:10.1007/s10964-006-9048-3Google Scholar
Harper, M.S., & Welsh, D.P. (2007). Keeping quiet: Self-silencing and its association with relational and individual functioning among adolescent romantic couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 99–116. doi:10.1177/0265407507072601Google Scholar
Jack, D.C. (1991). Silencing the self: Women and depression. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Jack, D.C., & Dill, D. (1992). The Silencing the Self Scale: Schemas of intimacy associated with depression in women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 16, 97–106.Google Scholar
Kellermann, K., & Reynolds, R. (1990). When ignorance is bliss: The role of motivation to reduce uncertainty in uncertainty reduction theory. Human Communication Research, 17, 5–75. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.1990.tb00226.xGoogle Scholar
Larson, D.G., & Chastain, R.L. (1990). Self-concealment: Conceptualization, measurement, and health implications. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9, 439–455. doi: 10.1521/jscp.1990.9.4.439Google Scholar
London, B., Downey, G., Romero-Canyas, R., Rattan, A., & Tyson, D. (2012). Gender-based rejection sensitivity and academic self-silencing in women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 961–979. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026615Google Scholar
Lowe, K., & Dotterer, A.M. (2018). Parental involvement during the college transition: A review and suggestion for its conceptual definition. Adolescent Research Review, 3, 29–42.Google Scholar
Mayseless, O., & Scharf, M. (2003). What does it mean to be an adult? The Israeli experience. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2003, 5–20. doi:10.1002/cd.71Google Scholar
Neff, K.D., & Harter, S. (2002). The authenticity of conflict resolutions among adult couples: Does women's other-oriented behavior reflect their true selves?. Sex Roles, 47, 403–417.Google Scholar
Remen, A.L., Chambless, D.L., & Rodebaugh, T.L. (2002). Gender differences in the construct validity of the Silencing the Self Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 151–159. doi:10.0000/107999099314360Google Scholar
Roberts, B.W., & Davis, J.P. (2016). Young adulthood is the crucible of personality development. Emerging Adulthood, 4, 318–326. doi: 0.1177/2167696816653052Google Scholar
Seiffge-Krenke, I., Overbeek, G., & Vermulst, A. (2010). Parent–child relationship trajectories during adolescence: Longitudinal associations with romantic outcomes in emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 159–171.Google Scholar
Shulman, S., Davila, J., & Shachar-Shapira, L. (2011). Assessing romantic competence among older adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 34, 397–406. doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.08.002Google Scholar
Shouse, S.H., & Nilsson, J. (2011). Self-silencing, emotional awareness, and eating behaviors in college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 451–457. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684310388785Google Scholar
Smith, J.D., Welsh, D.P., & Fite, P. (2010). Adolescents’ relational schemas and their subjective understanding of romantic relationship interactions. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.04.002Google Scholar
Specht, J., Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S.C. (2011). Stability and change of personality across the life course: the impact of age and major life events on mean-level and rank-order stability of the Big Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 862–882. doi:10.1037/a0024950Google Scholar
Spinazzola, J., Wilson, H.W., & Stocking, V.B. (2002). Dimensions of silencing and resistance in adolescent girls: Development of a narrative method for research and prevention. In Collins, L.H., Dunlap, M.R., & Chrisler, J.C. (Eds.), Charting a new course for feminist psychology. (pp. 111–138). Westport, CT: Praeger.Google Scholar
Tedeschi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 455–472. doi:10.1002/jts.2490090305Google Scholar
Thomas, K.K., & Bowker, J.C. (2015). Rejection sensitivity and adjustment during adolescence: Do friendship self-silencing and parent support matter? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 608–616. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9871-6Google Scholar
Tuval-Mashiach, R., & Shulman, S. (2006). Resolution of disagreements between romantic partners, among adolescents, and young adults: Qualitative analysis of interaction discourses. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16, 561–588. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2006.00508.Google Scholar
Williams, L.R., & Russell, S.T. (2013). Shared social and emotional activities within adolescent romantic and non-romantic sexual relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42, 649–658.Google Scholar
Witte, T.H., & Sherman, M.F. (2002). Silencing the self and feminist identity development. Psychological Reports, 90, 1075–1083. doi:10.1177/003329410209000304.2Google Scholar