THE INFLUENCE OF HUSBAND-AND-WIFE PERSONALITY ON MARITAL SOCIAL SUPPORT INTERACTIONS

The influence of extraversion and negative affectivity on support inte ractions among married couples was examined. One hundred married coupl es were observed in two 10-minute interactions that were designed to e licit supportive behaviors. Extraverted support providers gave more su pport to their spouse than did introverts. Reciprocity in the exchange of support behaviors was also observed: The amount of support given b y the individual in the first interaction predicted the amount of supp ort provided to him or her during the second interaction. Negative aff ectivity was negatively correlated with ratings of interaction support iveness, even when controlling for the number of supportive and negati ve behaviors received from the spouse. Extraverts showed higher sensit ivity to emotional support behaviors than did introverts. The same lev el of emotional support behaviors from the spouse led to higher rating s of interaction supportiveness among those high on extraversion than among those low on extraversion. Results highlight the importance of i ntegrative models of support that consider characteristics of the indi vidual and his or her social environment.