Empathic accuracy and accommodative behavior among newly married couples

• Published in: Personal relationships 2002-12, Vol.9 (4), p.369-393
• Main Authors: Kilpatrick, Shelley Dean, Bissonnette, Victor L., Rusbult, Caryl E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1350-4126; 1475-6811
• DOI: 10.1111/1475-6811.09402

An established method for assessing empathic accuracy was used to examine the consequences of accurate understanding during the early years of marriage. Structural equation modeling analyses simultaneously examined within–individual and across–partner associations among variables (actor effects and partner effects). During the first year of marriage, actor effects and partner effects were observed for two presumed consequences of empathic accuracy—accommodative behavior and couple well–being. Actor effects, partner effects, or both were observed for three possible determinants of empathic accuracy—commitment level, partner perspective–taking, and psychological femininity. Levels of empathic accuracy reliably declined following the first year of marriage, as did the strength of the above–noted associations with empathic accuracy.