Emotion expressivity and psychological flourishing of married individuals: Gender and type of marriage as moderators

ABSTRACT

Marital flourishing can be enriched by emotions; however, only in recent years, researchers have begun to acknowledge the benefits of emotions toward the understanding of marital functioning. This paper draws on the exploration to investigate the association between emotion expressivity (positive, negative, and impulse control) and psychological flourishing (individual and relationship) among married individuals, and the moderating role of married individual’s gender and the role of their marriage; arrange or love in these associations. Self-report responses on Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire and Psychological Flourishing Scale from a total sample of 591 married individuals (342 wives and 249 husbands), aged 21–80 years, were analyzed using linear regression analysis and moderation. Findings of the study exposed that emotion expressivity was associated with psychological flourishing among married individuals. Expression of positive emotions negatively predicted relationship flourishing and individual flourishing within marital relationship. Expression of negative emotions also negatively predicted husbands’ and wives’ psychological flourishing. Correspondingly, the strength of impulse reactions too, negatively predicted individual as well as relationship flourishing of married individuals. The interaction effect between emotion expressivity and gender was a significant predictor of psychological well-being. Likewise, the interaction effect between emotion expressivity and type of marriage was also a significant predictor of psychological flourishing. These results proposed that both gender and kind of marriage proved to be significant moderators between emotion expressivity and flourishing. The results had been discussed with regard to contemporary literature and cultural context of a non-western society.

KEYWORDS:

• Flourishing
• emotion expressivity
• gender
• type of marriage

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge NIP (National Institute of Psychology) Staff for their sincere support in the accomplishment of this research project. Second, I am grateful to the married individuals who voluntarily participated in this study. The information acquired from them facilitated us to understand the interpersonal flourishing of married individuals. Lastly, I would like to express my genuine appreciation to my family—my sister, my husband, and my children—for their encouragement and patience.