Browsing by Author "Kemer, Gülşah"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Citation - WoS: 12
Citation - Scopus: 14
Emotional Dependency and Dysfunctional Relationship Beliefs as Predictors of Married Turkish Individuals’ Relationship Satisfaction
(Cambridge University Press, 2016) Çetinkaya Yıldız, Evrim; Kemer, Gülşah; Bulgan, Gökçe
In this study, we examined married individuals’ relationship satisfaction in relation to their emotional dependency and dysfunctional relationship beliefs. Our participants consisted of 203 female and 181 male, a total of 384 married individuals from urban cities of Turkey. Controlling the effects of gender and length of marriage, we performed a hierarchical regression analysis. Results revealed that married Turkish individuals’ relationship satisfaction was significantly explained by their emotional dependency (sr2 = .300, p < .001), and perceptions of interpersonal rejection (sr2 = .075, p < .001) and unrealistic relationship expectations (sr2 = .028, p < .001). However, interpersonal misperception did not make a significant contribution to the participants’ relationship satisfaction (p > .05). When compared to perceptions of interpersonal rejection and unrealistic relationship expectations, emotional dependency had the largest role in explaining participants’ satisfaction with their marriages. We discuss the results in light of current literature as well as cultural relevance. We also provide implications for future research and mental health practices.
Emotional Dependency and Dysfunctional Relationship Beliefs as Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction
(International Association for Counselling, 2015) Çetinkaya Yıldız, Evrim; Kemer, Gülşah; Bulgan, Gökçe
For many years now social scientist study the factors effecting relationship satisfaction in order to understand how some of the love relationships continue over the years while others cannot. As stated by many philosophers love is, one way or another, very close to mental illness. Undeniably, love theories/typologies accept at least one feature or mechanism that might be described as ‘psychopathological’ and characterized by obsession, irrational idealization, emotional instability or emotional dependency (Tallis, 2005). Remember mania (Lee, 1973), limerence (Tennov, 1979) and infatuation (Sternberg, 1986). Romantic relationships either dating or marriage satisfy our deepest affiliative needs and are also the source of our emotional dependency. Likewise, dysfunctional relationship beliefs (i.e., interpersonal rejection, unrealistic relationship expectation, and interpersonal misperception) are found to be positively correlated to dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction (i.e., Stackert & Bursik, 2003; Sullivan and Schwebel, 1995) and also negatively correlated to marital distress (i.e., Addis & Bernard, 2002). Cognitive Theory postulates that the endorsement of certain irrational expectations about what makes relationships functional and healthy strongly affects an individual’s ability to adjust within a relationship. In the present study, we aimed at examining the role of emotional dependency and dysfunctional relationship beliefs in predicting married Turkish individuals’ relationship quality. Therefore, our overarching research question was, when gender and marriage duration is controlled, what are the roles of emotional dependency and interpersonal cognitive distortions, namely, interpersonal rejection, unrealistic relationship expectations, and interpersonal misperceptions, in predicting married Turkish individuals’ relationship quality? Participants of the present study were 203 female (%52.9) and 181 male (47.1) married Turkish individuals with an age range of 21 to 73 years (M = 35.98, SD = 8.00). The average length of marriage among the participants was 10.09 years (SD =8.24). Approximately %86 of the participants had college degrees whereas %14 reported graduate degrees. We used convenient sampling method to recruit the participants from urban cities of Turkey. In order to collect data a demographic information form, Relationship Assessment Scale, Emotional Dependency Scale, and Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale were administered. The hierarchical regression analysis results revealed that, after controlling the effects of gender and length of marriage, multiple correlation coefficient between the linear combination of emotional dependency, interpersonal rejection, unrealistic relationship expectation, and interpersonal misperception, and relationship quality elevated to .64. Model 2 was also significant [F(4,373) = 60.79, p<.001, R2 = .407] and four predictors together accounted for 39% of the variance in relationship quality. In this model, emotional dependency uniquely explained a big part of the variance (30%) in relationship quality with a significant positive contribution [t(373) = 13.73, p < .001, ß = .56]. Interpersonal rejection, on the other hand, explained 7.5% of the variance and had a significant negative contribution to the relationship quality [t(373) = -.5.49, p > .001, ß = -.23]. Similarly, unrealistic relationship expectations accounted for 2.8% of the variance and was negatively associated to participants’ relationship quality [t(373) = -3.29, p = .001, ß = -.14]. Nevertheless, the contribution of the interpersonal misperception to the relationship quality was not significant [t(373) = 1.34, p > .05].The results will be discussed in the light of current literature as well as cultural relevance, and implications for future research and practice will be provided.
Family Type, Duration of Marriage, and Personality Traits in Relation To Marital Satisfaction
(International Association for Counselling, 2015) Bulgan, Gökçe; Kemer, Gülşah; Çetinkaya Yıldız, Evrim
The aim of the present study was to examine how marriage type, duration of marriage, and personality characteristics play a role in predicting married Turkish individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. The hypotheses are as follows: 1. Marriage type will significantly predict individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. More specifically, individuals from self-choice marriages will have significantly higher marital satisfaction levels than those from family-arranged marriages. 2. Duration of marriage will significantly predict individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. 3. Personality traits will significantly predict individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. While extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness will be significantly and positively related to marital satisfaction, neuroticism will be significantly but negatively related. Participants were 288 (147 female and 141 male) married Turkish individuals living in urban cities in Turkey. In reaching the participants, convenience sampling method was utilized through word-of-mouth advertising. Participants’ demographic information was collected through a form that included questions regarding gender, age, education, number of children, duration of marriage, and marriage type (family-arranged vs. self-choice). In addition, the Big Five Inventory (John & Srivastava, 1999) was utilized to assess participants’ personality traits and the Marital Satisfaction Scale (Tezer, 1996) was used to assess the overall satisfaction of married individuals. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant results for the linear combination of marriage type and duration of marriage as well as personality traits in explaining individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. More specifically, duration of marriage, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism were found to have individual significant contributions to Turkish individuals’ marital satisfaction levels.The current study relied on self-report measures, which comes with the risk that all reported data is based on participants’ perceptions. Not controlling social desirability, we acknowledge that participants’ reports may have involved under- or over-report of personality characteristics as well as marital satisfaction. Additionally, this study recruited a voluntary sample of participants from urban cities of Turkey. Results of this study have implications for mental health professionals working in the field of marriage and family counselling. In the multicultural world we live in, different cultures have different dynamics involved in marriage. Based on our findings, counsellors could take into consideration the clients’ intrapersonal factors especially their level of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism in dealing with marital issues. In addition, our findings indicated a significant positive relationship between marital satisfaction and duration of marriage. Therefore, paying attention to the factors that have positively contributed to and brought the couple emotionally closer throughout their marriage while learning how the couple had dealt with the stressors in their earlier years of marriage could be helpful.
Citation - WoS: 15
Citation - Scopus: 20
Gender Differences, Infidelity, Dyadic Trust, and Jealousy Among Married Turkish Individuals
(Springer, 2016) Çetinkaya Yıldız, Evrim; Kemer, Gülşah; Bulgan, Gökçe
In the present study, relationships among gender,emotional response to partner’s imagined infidelity (emotionaland sexual infidelity), and dyadic trust (low and high levels oftrust) were investigated as functions of married Turkish individuals’jealousy types (cognitive, emotional, and behavioral).Five hundred thirty seven (276 women and 261 men) marriedindividuals living in urban areas in Turkey participated in thestudy. Results of the Multivariate Analysis of Variance(MANOVA) revealed significant main effects for gender, infidelitytypes, and dyadic trust. Particularly, married Turkish men in this study were found to be more emotionally jealousthan women. Participants who responded to sexual infidelityas more upsetting had higher levels of emotional jealousywhen compared to the participants who found emotional infidelitymore upsetting. Moreover, participants with low dyadictrust for their partners were found to be high in their cognitivejealousy and behavioral jealousy reactions. Results arediscussed in details with implications for future research andsuggestions for mental health practitioners.
Marital Satisfaction of Turkish Individuals: the Role of Marriage Type, Duration of Marriage, and Personality Traits
(2018) Bulgan, Gökçe; Kemer, Gülşah; Çetinkaya Yıldız, Evrim
The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of marriage type (family-arranged versus self-choice), duration of marriage, and personality traits (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, and neuroticism) in predicting married Turkish individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. Participants were 288 (147 female and 141 male) married Turkish individuals living in urban cities in Turkey. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant results for the linear combination of marriage type and duration of marriage as well as personality traits in explaining individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. More specifically, duration of marriage, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism were found to have individual significant contributions to Turkish individuals’ marital satisfaction levels. Results were discussed by offering suggestions for future research and mental health professionals working with marriage and family issues.
Citation - WoS: 40
Citation - Scopus: 40
Self-Compassion Matters: the Relationships Between Perceived Social Support, Self-Compassion, and Subjective Well-Being Among Lgb Individuals in Turkey.
(American Psychological Association, 2018) Moe, Jeffry L.; Kemer, Gülşah; Toplu Demirtaş, Ezgi; Pope, Amber L.
Research on the well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people has predominately focused on Western (-ized) societies where individualism, and not collectivism, is emphasized. In the present study, we utilized a mediator model via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships between self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), perceived social support (i.e., family, friends, and significant others), and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) in a sample of LGB-identified individuals living in Turkey, a traditionally collectivistic culture (Hofstede, 2001). A sample of 291 LGB individuals (67 lesbian, 128 gay, and 96 bisexual) completed an online survey including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale, and Selfkindness, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness subscales of the Self-Compassion Scale. The results of SEM for the hypothesized mediator model revealed that self-compassion mediated the relationships between perceived social support from family and significant others and subjective well-being, explaining the 77% of the variance in subjective well-being. Implications for the literature base on LGB well-being are discussed, with a focus on the cross-cultural applications.