Attitude alignment in close relationships

On the basis of principles of balance theory and interdependence theory, th is research examined a phenomenon termed attitude alignment, or the tendenc y of interacting partners to modify their attitudes in such a manner as to achieve attitudinal congruence. The results of three experiments generally were consistent with the proposed model. First, tendencies toward attitude alignment were greater to the extent that attitudinal discrepancies were sa lient. Second, alignment tendencies were greater to the extent that an issu e was central to the partner; there was also evidence that the degree to wh ich an issue was peripheral to the self affected alignment processes (e.g., for changes in centrality of issue, with regard to persuasion methods), Th ird, degree of alignment tended to be greater in dating-partner interaction s than in stranger interactions and tended to be greater among couples with high adjustment than among those with low adjustment.