Measuring up: the unique emotional and regulatory outcomes of different perceived partner-ideal discrepancies in romantic relationships.

Guided by the ideal standards model (Simpson, Fletcher, & Campbell, 2001), the present research investigated the emotional and regulatory consequences of different forms of perceived partner discrepancies in a relationship context. Studies 1 (dating sample) and 2 (married sample) demonstrated that perceiving one's partner to be the source of a partner discrepancy (i.e., a PD-partner) was associated with dejection emotions, whereas perceiving oneself to be the source of the partner discrepancy (i.e., a PD-self) was associated with agitation emotions. Study 3 provided experimental support for the findings of Studies 1 and 2 by demonstrating that participants primed with either a PD-partner or a PD-self exhibited facilitated responses to dejection and agitation emotions, respectively. Studies 4 and 5 provided experimental support for the prediction that a PD-partner also results in a promotion focus regulatory style, whereas a PD-self results in a prevention focus regulatory style. The importance of understanding the emotional and regulatory ramifications of evaluation outcomes within a romantic relationship context is discussed.