SIMILARITY AND UNIQUENESS FOCUS - A PAPER TIGER AND A SURPRISE

Two studies examined self-defensiveness as a result of thinking about one's intimate relationship in terms of self-partner similarity or uni queness. Fifty married couples (Study 1) and 106 single women who were involved in romantic relationships (Study 2) wrote essays on self-par tner similarities or uniqueness or on movies (control). All participan ts were then given threatening information-spouse outperformed self on a novel task (Study 1)-or negative feedback on desirable attributes ( Study 2). Defensiveness was measured. Content analysis revealed that r elationship-similarity essays were associated with good feelings, a '' we'' focus, and limited cognitive processing. Relationship-uniqueness essays were associated with a self-fonts, negative feelings, and subst antial cognitive processing in terms of understanding and assimilation . In neither study did relationship-similarity essays reduce defensive ness; in both studies, relationship-uniqueness reduced defensiveness. Results are discussed in terms of the syndromes produced by the simila rity and uniqueness essays.