The association between conditional regard and relationship quality: A daily diary study

Research on conditional positive regard (CPR) and conditional negative regard (CNR) has shown that these practices are associated with some maladaptive qualities of romantic relationships. The current study investigated the associations between CPR and CNR and romantic relationship satisfaction using a daily diary methodology. A multilevel analysis of a sample of 80 individuals revealed that both CPR and CNR were negatively linked to relationship satisfaction at the between‐person level. However, at the within‐level, CPR was positively linked to relationship satisfaction, whereas CNR showed a negative association. The findings are discussed within self‐determination theory (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 2000) and highlight how motivating one's partner by providing positive regard may be satisfying in the short term but controlling in the long run.