Carmen Viejo
University of Córdoba
Interpersonal competences, relationship quality and well-being
Participants: Beatriz Leva1; Mercedes Gómez-López1; Noemí Toledano1; Gaia Cuccì2
1University of Córdoba; 2Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano (Italy)
Symposium Summary
Choosing a romantic partner is a complex developmental task that is addressed during adolescence. Choosing and knowing oneself chosen involves applying relationship skills learned in peer context, such as reciprocity, negotiation or emotional and behavioural regulation. Nevertheless, these skills must be now at the service of a new partnership -the romantic relationship-, whose rules and difficulties are somewhat unknown, and whose aims include the satisfaction of needs, such as intimacy, the search for support, and the building of a romantic attachment. Adolescents’ lack of experience in this new context places this task in a risky position. Courtship and romantic initiation become a trial-and-error process, in which success and avoidance of inappropriate behaviour, such as violence, will depend on the development of personal skills and acquired romantic competence.
This symposium will address four works that will delve into some aspects of this process, analysing (1) the risk of violent behaviour at the beginning of these relationships; (2) the importance of interpersonal skills for well-being; (3) adolescents’ courtship interpersonal and relationship skills; and (4) the impact of romantic competence in relationship quality. These contributions highlight the importance of considering these variables from a dual approach: on the one hand, from a developmental perspective, which emphasizes personal growth and social development; on the other hand, from a psychoeducational view, that addresses the acquisition of necessary means for strengthening romantic competence and improving the quality of these initial relationships, to prevent violence experiences.
Short CV
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology of University of Cordoba (Spain) and member of Laboratorio de Estudios para la Convivencia y Prevención de la Violencia (LAECOVI- www.laecovi.com), her research lines include interpersonal relationships during adolescence, particularly the beginning of courtship and romantic relationships. She has made progress in the study of the risks associated with these relationships from a developmental view, such as Dating Violence, as well as their benefits and association with subjective and psychological well-being during adolescence.
She has participated in regional, national and European research projects related to this and other connected topics. She has published several scientific papers in national and international journals with JCR impact and has participated in several conferences. She has made research stays in international centres (UK, Italy, Chile), working with various research teams, with whom she maintains international networks on the subjects of Dating and Dating Violence.