| Research on humility has been growing over a decade. Throughout its study, researchers have varied on an operational definition of the construct which has resulted in a number of definitions (Kesebir, 2014; Tangney, 2005). Relational humility was defined by Davis et al. (2010b) as emphasizing the other over oneself, expressing positive emotions towards the other, regulating one's own emotions, and accurately perceiving oneself. Researchers measuring the construct have relied heavily on the Relational Humility Scale (Davis et al., 2011), which limits the progress in the study of the construct. This study considered observable indicators that may be associated with relational humility by examining problem-focused discussions of 69 couples with the Interactional Dimensions Coding System. Higher ratings of a relational humility were hypothesized to be associated with greater levels of observed other-oriented behaviors while discussing a relationship problem. In addition, self-reported relational humility was expected to predict unique variance in dyadic adjustment compared to observed other-oriented behaviors. Data for males and females were analyzed separately. Relational humility was significantly correlated with support validation (.28, p < .05) and positive escalation (.27, p < .05) among males and negative affect (-.23, p < .05) among females. Regression models significantly predicted relationship satisfaction for males and females, accounting for 32.8% and 40.5% of variance in relational satisfaction, respectively. Future research might continue to study the behaviors and physiological responses involved in other-oriented emotional regulation as well as develop interventions for increasing humility and emotional regulation on the individual and dyadic levels. |
