Differentiation of Self and Dyadic Adjustment in Couple Relationships: A Dyadic Analysis Using the Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model

• Author: Elizabeth A. Skowron,Alessandra Busonera,Stefania Cataudella,Mirian Agus,Jessica Lampis
• Published date: 01 September 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12370
• Date: 01 September 2019

Differentiation of Self and Dyadic Adjustment in

Couple Relationships: A Dyadic Analysis Using the

Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

JESSICA LAMPIS*

STEFANIA CATAUDELLA*

MIRIAN AGUS*

ALESSANDRA BUSONERA

†

ELIZABETH A. SKOWRON

‡

Bowen’s multigenerational theory provides an account of how the internalization of expe-

riences within the family of origin promotes development of the ability to mai ntain a dis-

tinct self whilst also making intimate connections with others. Differentiated people can

maintain their I-position in intimate relationships. They can remain calm in conflictual

relationships, resolve relational problems effectively, and reach compromises. Fusion with

others, emotional cut-off, and emotional reactivity instead are common reactions to rela-

tional stress in undifferentiated people. Emotional reactivity is the tendency to react to

stressors with irrational and intense emotional arousal. Fusion with others is an excessive

emotional involvement in significant relationships, whilst emotional cut-off is the te ndency

to manage relationship anxiety through physical and emotional distance. This study is

based on Bowen’s theory, starting from the assumption that dyadic adjustment can be

affected both by a member’s differentiation of self (actor effect) and by his or her partner’s

differentiation of self (partner effect). We used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to

study the relationship between differentiation of self and dyadic adjustment in a conve-

nience sample of 137 heterosexual Italian couples (nonindependent, dyadic data). The cou-

ples completed the Differentiation of Self Inventory and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale.

Men’s dyadic adjustment depended only on their personal I-position, whereas women’s

dyadic adjustment was affected by their personal I-position and emotional cut-off as well

as by their partner’s I-position and emotional cut-off. The empirical and clinical implica-

tions of the results are discussed.

Keywords: Differentiation of Self; Dyadic Adjustment; Partners Interdependence;

Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Fam Proc 58:698–715, 2019

INTRODUCTION

Bowen’s multigenerational theory (1978) emphasizes the importance of autonomy and

interdependence processes to individual and family development. It assumes that

*Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.

†

Department of Clinical and Developmental Psychology, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Rome, Italy.

‡

Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jessica Lampis, Department of Pedagogy,

Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Via Is Mirrionis, 1, 09123 Cagliari, Italy. E-mail: jlampis@

unica.it.

On behalf of all the authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Family Process, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2019 ©2018 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12370

patterns of social interaction and adjustment are transmitted across generations—in

other words, that children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development is influenced by

their parents’ relationship pattern—and that this enables individuals to develop an age-

appropriate degree of autonomy and differentiation of self and to create functional rela-

tionships with others (Bowen, 1978; Kerr & Bowen, 1988).

Differentiation is central to Bowen’s account of systemic and individual developmental

trajectories, and it is a fundamental property of family relations and the organization of

self. The family differentiation construct describes emotional, relational, and behavioral

patterns of distance regulation within families. These patterns reflect the degree to which

the family system encourages intimacy between members and individuality (Cohen,

Vasey, & Gavazzi, 2003; Kerr & Bowen, 1988) and offer a way to conceptualize family

functioning. Optimal family differentiation combines tolerance or expectation of high

levels of both individuality and intimacy, whereas low family differentiation is linked with

low tolerance or expectation of individuality and intimacy.

Family differentiation is linked to a variety of individual adjustment variables and has

a big impact on personal development and differentiation of self. Differentiation of self is a

universal requirement: All individuals must learn to maintain a distinct self whilst also

making intimate connections with others (Knerr & Bartle-Haring, 2010). In Bowen’s

model, differentiation of self is defined in terms of intrapsychic and interpersonal traits.

On the intrapsychic level, differentiation of self is the capacity to balance emotional and

logical processes; on the interpersonal level, it is the ability to create intimate, emotional

ties with others whilst remaining on some level independent from them (Bowen, 1978;

Kerr & Bowen, 1988).

Kerr and Bowen (1988) described two levels of differentiation of self: basic and func-

tional. The basic level is relatively fixed and non-negotiable. It is determined during a

child’s development in his or her family of origin and includes I-position action statements.

It consists of integrated beliefs, convictions, and ideas that are invariant across relation-

ships and environments. In contrast, the functional level of differentiation (or pseudo-self)

can change according to environment and relationships. It is negotiable and fluctuates

according to the relationship system in which one is involved.

Kerr and Bowen (1988) argued that individuals with high differentiation of self tend to

have more effective social and relational coping skills, whereas those with low differentia-

tion of self experience greater relational anxiety, function less effectively in stressful situ-

ations, and suffer more from physiological and psychological symptoms (Peleg & Zoabi,

2014). Four indicators of differentiation of self have been developed: ability to take an

I-position, emotional reactivity, emotional cut-off, and fusion with others (Kerr & Bowen,

1988; Skowron & Friedlander, 1998).

Differentiated people are flexible and can maintain their I-position in intense interac-

tions and relationships. They can remain calm in conflicted relationships, resolve rela-

tional problems effectively, and reach compromises. Less differentiated individuals, on the

other hand, tend to be overwhelmed by emotions and to feel stress, anxiety, and discomfort

in intimate relationships. Fusion with others, emotional cut-off, and emotional reactivity

are common reactions to relational stress in undifferentiated people. Fusion with others is

defined as excessive emotional involvement in significant relationships, whilst emotional

cut-off is the tendency to manage relationship anxiety through physical and emotional dis-

tance by rejecting emotional attachments to family and romantic partners. Individ uals

who score high on an emotional cut-off display exaggerate autonomy and independ ence to

create the illusion of real emotional separation. Emotional reactivity is a person’s ten-

dency to respond to external of internal stressors with intense, irrational emotional activa-

tion (Bowen, 1978; Peleg, 2002; Peleg & Zoabi, 2014; Skowron & Friedlander, 1998;

Skowron & Schmitt, 2003).

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