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Relationship between early maladaptive schemas, couple satisfaction and

individual mate value: An evolutionary psychological approach

Article  in  Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies · March 2012

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 Articles Section

Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies,

Vol. 12, No. 1, March 2012, 63-76.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARLY MALADAPTIVE

SCHEMAS, COUPLE SATISFACTION AND
INDIVIDUAL MATE VALUE: AN EVOLUTIONARY
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
Daciana DUMITRESCU & Alina S. RUSU*
Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Abstract
In line with the current trend in evolutionary psychology (i.e., focus on the
impact of psychological factors on individual reproductive potential), we
investigated the association between early maladaptive schemas, the level
of couple satisfaction and the mate value of individuals involved in stable
relationships. The research was conducted on a sample of 182 Romanian
participants (174 females and 8 males, average age = 23.99 years). Standard
instruments were used to measure the level of early maladaptive schemas
(Young Schema Questionnaire), the level of couple satisfaction (Dyadic
Adjustment Scale), and the individual mate value (High-K Strategy Scale).
Our results indicate that an increased level of early maladaptive schemas
predicts a decreased level of couple satisfaction, and that the level of early
maladaptive schemas negatively correlates with the individual mate value.
The findings are discussed from the perspective of evolutionary psychology
and couples therapy.

Keywords: early maladaptive schemas, mating process, reproductive value,

marital satisfaction

According to the evolutionary perspective (i.e., natural selection frame),

social bonds might have boosted the survival chances of our ancestors, as well as
their chances of reproduction. Group membership offers adult individuals
opportunities of reproducing, nurturing their offspring to sexual maturity, sharing
food and becoming stronger in front of dangerous situations (Myers, 2000;
Giosan, 2006). Several studies indicate that individuals with a high number of
social bonds (friends, family, colleagues, religious community or group) are less
vulnerable to illness and to premature death, and have a higher level of general
well-being compared to individuals with a lower number of social connections
(Myers, 2000).
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to:
E-mail: alinarusu@psychology.ro

Relationship between maladaptive schemas, couple satisfaction and mate value 63

Articles Section

The simplest social relationship among individuals of the human species

is the couple relationship, which is also the basic unit of the mating process. The
ability of an individual to find a mate increases the chances to pass on his/her
genes to the next generations. In the field of evolutionary sciences, this ability is
known as direct fitness (Hamilton, 1964). Besides the functionality of the couple
relationship at level of reproduction, there are also investigations on the impact of
the relationship status on the individual well-being. For example, data indicate
that individuals in a couple relationship cope better with different social and
environmental stressors (Perlman & Rook, 1987).
The well-being (or quality of life) of an individual refers not only to
wealth and employment, but also to the physical environment, physical and
mental health, education, recreation and leisure time, and social belonging
(Costanza et al., 2008). Marital status, which is a demographic parameter that
indicates a conjugal position (single, in a relationship, divorced, married,
widowed) has been systematically associated with the physical and mental health
of an individual. In terms of social belonging, the marital status specifies the
attachment to a significant person (Ross, 1995). Recent data indicate that
individuals living in married couples are less likely to suffer from long-term
medical conditions (e.g., cancer) and have higher chances of survival than single
individuals (Braithwaite, Delevi, & Finchman, 2010; Lillard & Waite, 1995). A
17-year longitudinal study (Stutzer & Fey, 2006) shows that married individuals
have higher physical and mental well being than single, divorced or widowed
persons. Also, compared to married individuals, single individuals have increased
levels of depression, anxiety and adaptation problems (Braithwaite, Delevi, &
Finchman, 2010; Coombs, 1991).
At societal level, couple relationship occurs either as marriage (official
form), or as cohabitation (close relationship). The most important factors
associated with the reproductive success of a couple appear to be the couple
satisfaction (i.e., the level of general satisfaction of a partner with the
relationship, including sexual satisfaction) and the ability of the partners to
communicate with each other (Litzinger, Coop, & Gordon, 2005). A recent study
investigating these two factors indicates that partners that are sexually satisfied
within their couple report a high level of couple satisfaction even when they
experience difficulties in communication (Litzinger, Coop, & Gordon, 2005). One
can infer from these results that sexual satisfaction might partially compensate for
the negative effects of the poor communication on the level of marital
satisfaction. Besides the sexual satisfaction and the ability to communicate within
the couple, individual emotional and cognitive factors should be also considered
when investigating the couple satisfaction.

64 Daciana Dumitrescu, Alina S. Rusu

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Emotional factors associated to couple satisfaction

Among the emotional factors related to couple satisfaction, emotional

expressivity appears to have an important impact on the level of couple well-
being. Emotional expressivity represents an individual persistent pattern of
displaying verbal/nonverbal expressions that are associated with different
emotions. A high level of positive emotional expressivity of the partners has been
associated with a high level of couple satisfaction (Halberstadt, Cassidy, Stifter,
Parke, & Fox, 1995; Rauer & Volling, 2005). Observational studies indicate that
satisfied spouses are more positive in their interactions with their partners and
express more agreement, humor, approval, caring, and empathy than spouses who
do not rate themselves as satisfied (Feeney, 1998).

Cognitive factors associated to couple satisfaction

Ellis (1986) was the first to emphasize the potential association of

individual cognitive factors with the level of couple satisfaction. Thus, disturbed
marriages (i.e., partners with a high level of marital distress) were observed to
occur when one or both spouses hold a high level of irrational beliefs, i.e., highly
exaggerated, rigid, illogical, absolutistic thoughts (Ellis, 1986). In the same line,
the study of Hamamci (2005) investigates the association between dysfunctional
relationship beliefs and marital conflict, indicating high correlations between
dysfunctional beliefs and marital conflict, in terms of the frequency of conflicts
and the tension that partners feel. Also, compared to individuals from couples
with low level of marital distress, individuals from distressed couples express a
higher level of irrational beliefs (Moller, Rabe, & Nortje, 2001).
Several studies show that emotional distress appears to depend on the
causal attributions that partners tend to make in relation to their marital problems
(Finchman, Bradbury, & Grych, 1990; Tilden & Dattilio, 2005). Baucom and
colleagues (Baucom, Epstein, Sayers, & Sher, 1989) developed a typology of
cognitions implicated in relationship distress. This typology includes (a) selective
attention (i.e., tendency to notice particular aspects of the events occurring in a
relationship); (b) attributions (i.e., inferences about the factors that have
influenced the actions related to the marital life; (c) expectancies (i.e., predictions
about the likelihood that particular events will occur in a relationship); (d)
assumptions (i.e., believes about the normal characteristics of people and
relationships), and (e) standards (i.e., believes about the characteristics that people
and relationships should have (Baucom et al., 1989; Tilden & Dattilio, 2005).
The cognitive model of Beck (1979) proposes that relatively stable
underlying schemas, or cognitive structures, might shape the content of the
perceptions and inferences of an individual. Schemas include basic beliefs about
the nature of human beings and relationships, and they are assumed to be
relatively stable, even inflexible at times. Many schemas about relationships and

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Articles Section

the nature of couple interactions are learned early in life from primary sources
such as family-of-origin, cultural traditions, mass media, early dating and other
relationship experiences (Beck, 1979; Tilden & Dattilio, 2005). Additionally,
individuals develop schemas that are specific to each relationship. If the schema
about the partner is negative, they tend to process and interpret his/her behavior in
a negative manner, and tend to be resistant to any information inconsistent with
the schema (Chatav & Whisman, 2009). A negative appraisal of the partner might
cause negative behavioral reactions that will create marital distress, low self-
esteem and depressive symptoms (Sacco & Phares, 2001).
The model of Early Maladaptive Schemas (Young, Klosko, & Weishaar,
2003) extends the cognitive theory and introduces the concept of early
maladaptive schemas, which are often implicated in couple conflict and marital
distress. These schemas are broad, pervasive patterns (e.g., memories, emotions,
cognitions, and bodily sensations) regarding oneself and one’s relationships with
others. They are developed during childhood or adolescence, elaborated
throughout the lifetime and are dysfunctional to a significant degree (Young et al.,
2003). The model describes 18 schemas that are grouped into five broad
categories of unmet emotional needs that are called schema domains (Young et
al., 2003): (1) disconnection and rejection (abandonment / instability, mistrust /
abuse, emotional deprivation, defectiveness/shame, social isolation/alienation);
(2) impaired autonomy and performance (dependence / incompetence,
vulnerability to harm or illness, enmeshment / undeveloped self, failure); (3)
impaired limits (entitlement / grandiosity, insufficient self-control / self-
discipline); (4) other-directedness (subjugation, self-sacrifice, approval seeking /
recognition seeking); (5) over-vigilance and inhibition (negativity / pessimism,
emotional inhibition, unrelenting standards / hypercriticalness, and punitiveness).
Young and colleagues (Young et al., 2003) propose two fundamental
schema operations, schema perpetuation and schema healing. Every thought,
feeling, behavior, and life experience relevant to a schema either perpetuates the
schema (i.e., elaborates and reinforces it), or heals the schema (weakens it).
Schema healing involves behavior change, as the individual might learn to replace
maladaptive coping styles with adaptive patterns of behavior. In adulthood, early
maladaptive schemas are triggered by daily situations (including situations related
to the couple/marriage scene), that are unconsciously perceived as being similar
to traumatic events from childhood and they generate negative emotions when
they are activated (Young et al., 2003).

Couple satisfaction and the individual reproductive value

From an evolutionary point of view, an optimal level of couple

satisfaction can be considered an important pre-requisite of reproductive success.
The strategies by which an organism is able to produce descendants (i.e., direct
fitness) are usually framed within the Life History Theory (LHT), which

66 Daciana Dumitrescu, Alina S. Rusu

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maintains that any available resources in any particular environment are finite
(Bogaert & Rushton, 1989; Giosan 2006). From the LHT perspective, two main
reproductive strategies are identified: (1) the K-selected strategy, which consists
in producing a smaller number of offspring with higher chances of survival, and
(2) the r-selected strategy, which consists in the production of a large number of
offspring, of whom only a minority may survive (Rushton, 1985; Giosan, 2006).
High-K strategy is defined as a fitness strategy by which individuals allocate
resources in the parental (investment in offspring) and somatic (growth and
development) effort to produce a smaller number of descendants that will become
reproductively competitive (Giosan, 2006). These reproductive strategies result
from psychosocial traits of the individuals (i.e., cognitive, emotional, behavioral
traits). Such traits considered to be associated with a high-K strategy in humans
are: long-term thinking and planning, commitment to long-term relationships,
extensive parental investment, existence of social support structures, adherence to
social rules (e.g., altruism and cooperation), and consideration of risks (Figueredo
et al., 2006; Giosan, 2006).
From the evolutionary psychology perspective, the high-K strategy can be
manifested through the following dimensions, which can be measured by the
High-K Strategy Scale (HKSS; Giosan, 2006): (1) preserving or increasing health
of self, offspring and kin; (2) achieving upward mobility, which may translate
into better access to healthcare, educational, and career opportunities for the
offspring; (3) social capital, which may translate into receiving help from others
when in need, and (4) careful consideration of risks (Giosan, 2006). High-K
strategy is also associated with some personality traits, such as conscientiousness,
extraversion, agreeableness, low neuroticism, which are also important to an
individual in terms of achieving and maintaining an optimal level of social
success (Figueredo et al., 2006 apud. Giosan, 2009). Recent data indicate that
mental illness has a negative effect on fitness. For example, depression (McGuire,
Troisi, & Raleigh, 2006) and schizophrenia are associated with a decreased fitness
(i.e., low fertility, no or low number and descendants, high risk of the descendants
to develop mental conditions). Also, the study of Giosan (2009) on a sample of
1400 participants indicates an association between the high-K strategy and some
mental conditions, such as: posttraumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, anger
and functional disabilities. Results confirm that the high-K strategy is a negative
predictor for psychopathology, (i.e., a low score on the High-K Strategy Scale
indicates a decreased fitness value, and it is associated with severe symptoms of
posttraumatic stress disorder). The study of Giosan (2009) offers an indirect
support for the potential evolutionary explanation of posttraumatic stress as an
expression of a learned response of the vulnerable individuals, which, when
developed, can have negative effects on their fitness.
In the same line of research on the relationship between psychopathology
and fitness, we aim to investigate whether early maladaptive schemas are
associated with couple satisfaction and with the mate value of an individual

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Articles Section

within a couple. Specifically, the objectives of the present study are: (1) to test the
predictive character of early maladaptive schemas for couple satisfaction; (2) to
identify early maladative schemas that are potential predictors for a low level of
couple satisfaction; (3) to investigate the relation between early maladaptive
schemas and the mate value (i.e., high-K strategy) of individuals that are involved
in a couple relationship. We hypothesize that: (1) an increased level of early
maladaptive schemas predicts a decreased level of couple satisfaction; (2) high
levels of early maladaptive schemas will negatively correlate with the individual
mate value (i.e., the score on the High-K Strategy Scale; Giosan, 2006).

Method

Participants
The study was conducted on a sample of 182 participants (174 females
and 8 males). Participants were students of Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-
Napoca, Romania (undergraduate and master levels), aged between 19-40 years
(M = 23.99; SD = 6.65). Participants were selected based on the inclusion criteria
of being in a relationship for at least 6 months or being married. In our sample,
84.6 % of the participants were in a relationship and 15.4 % were married. The
duration of the relationship/marriage in this sample was between 0.5-20 years
(only four participants were in a relationship longer that 3 years). The majority of
the participants did not have children (84%).

Measures
The Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3; Young &
Brown, 2007) contains 114 items and measures 18 early maladaptive schemas,
e.g., abandonment / instability (AB), mistrust / abuse (MA), emotional
deprivation (ED), social isolation / alienation (SI), dependence / incompetence,
negativity / pessimism (NP), emotional inhibition (EI) etc. Participants must
choose on a 6-point Likert scale the highest rating that describes them (i.e., 1-
completely untrue, 6 - it describes me perfectly). The score for each subscale is
calculated by summing the items for each specific early maladaptive schema. The
total score of the YSQ-S3 is obtained by summing the scores of all the subscales.
The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1976) has 32 items and it
measures the level of couple satisfaction and the quality of the couple
relationship. Factor analysis indicates that this instrument measures four aspects
of a relationship: dyadic satisfaction (DS), dyadic consensus (Dcon), dyadic
cohesion (Dcon) and affective expression (AE). The majority of items are
answered on a 6-point Likert scale (i.e., 0 - always disagree, 6 - always agree).
The DAS total score is obtained by summing the scores of all the items. A very
low score indicates that the individual has a decreased level of couple satisfaction,
while a very high score denotes an increased level of satisfaction. Cronbach’s
alpha of the scale is .96.

68 Daciana Dumitrescu, Alina S. Rusu

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The High-K Strategy Scale (HKSS; Giosan, 2006) is a 26-items scale that
measures the K-strategy, which is a reproductive strategy by which individuals
allocate resources (through parental and somatic effort) in order to produce a
smaller number of children that will become reproductively competitive. The
scale content is centered on fitness-related factors, such as: 1) health and
attractiveness; 2) upward mobility; 3) social capital and extended family, and 4)
consideration of risks. Items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale (i.e.,
1 - strongly disagree, 5 - strongly agree), with the exception of item 19 (Are you
married or cohabitating?), that has to be dichotomously answered (no = 1, yes =
5). The total HKSS score is calculated by summing the values of all the items. A
high score indicates that a person is a high K-strategist. Cronbach’s alpha of the
scale is .92 (Giosan, 2006).

Procedure
Participants received information by e-mail regarding an ongoing research
on human relationships. By accessing a link, participants could fill in the three
online questionnaires (YSQ-S3, DAS, HKSS). Before the administration of the
questionnaires, participants filled in a brief demographic information form (i.e.,
initials, gender, age, marital status, duration of the relationship/marriage, number
of children). Participants were assured of the privacy of their answers.

Design and statistical analysis

Correlation and simple linear regression were used for quantitative data
analyses. For the investigation of the predictive value of the early maladaptive
schemas on couple satisfaction, the level of couple satisfaction was used as a
criterion variable, and the level of early maladaptive schemas was used as a
predictor variable. For the investigation of the relation between the early
maladaptive schemas and the individual mate value (high-K strategy), the
following correlative variables were taken into account: (1) the early maladaptive
schemas and (2) the mate value. Statistical analysis was performed using the
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 16).

Results

To test the first hypothesis, we used simple linear regression. The total
YSQ-S3 (Young & Brown, 2007) score was introduced as a predictor variable,
whereas the total DAS (Spanier, 1976) score was introduced as criterion variable.
As can be seen in Table 1, early maladaptive schemas were significantly related
to the level of couple satisfaction (t = -2.42, df = 181, p <. 05). As can be noticed,
a 1-unit increase in early maladaptive schemas was associated with a 3.78-unit
decrease in couple satisfaction.
The early maladaptive schemas that predicted a low level of couple
satisfaction were: abandonment / instability (t = -2.99, df = 181, p <. 01),

Relationship between maladaptive schemas, couple satisfaction and mate value 69

Articles Section

emotional deprivation (t = -2.03, df = 181, p < .05), defectiveness / shame (t =

-3.28, df = 181, p <. 01), social isolation / alienation (t = -3.43, df = 181, p <. 01),
dependence / incompetence (t = -2.10, df = 181, p <. 05), vulnerability to harm or
illness (t = -2.15, df = 181, p <.05), subjugation (t = -2.54, df = 181, p <. 05), self
sacrifice (t = -2.11, df = 181, p <. 05), approval seeking / recognition seeking (t =-
2.10, df = 181, p <. 05), negativity / pessimism (t = -2.51, df = 181, p <. 05).
The early maladaptive schemas that show no significant correlation with
the level of couple satisfaction (p > .05; see Table 1) were: mistrust / abuse,
enmeshment / undeveloped self, failure, entitlement / grandiosity, insufficient self
control/self discipline, emotional inhibition, unrealistic standards/
hypercriticalness, and punitiveness.

Table 1. Simple linear regression analysis, with early maladaptive schemas as predictor
variable, and the level of couple satisfaction as criterion variable

PREDICTIVE VARIABLE B SD Beta t P

Emotional deprivation -0.42 0.20 -0.15 -2.03 0.04*
Abandonment / Instability -0.68 0.22 -0.21 -2.99 0.003**
Mistrust / Abuse -0.37 0.24 -0.11 -1.49 0.13
Social isolation / Alienation -0.86 0.25 -0.24 -3.43 0.001**
Defectiveness / Shame -1.13 0.34 -0.23 -3.28 0.001**
Failure -0.46 0.24 -0.14 -1.89 0.05
Dependence / Incompetence -0.56 0.26 -0.15 -2.10 0.03*
Vulnerability to harm or Illness -0.61 0.28 -0.15 -2.15 0.03*
Enmeshment / Undeveloped self -0.35 0.29 -0.09 -1.22 0.22
Subjugation -0.76 0.30 -0.18 -2.54 0.01*
Self Sacrifice -0.53 0.25 -0.15 -2.11 0.03*
Emotional Inhibition -0.57 0.29 -0.14 -1.95 0.05
Unrealistic standards / Hypercriticalness 0.02 0.27 0.00 0.07 0.94
Entitlement / Grandiosity -0.13 0.27 -0.03 -0.48 0.63
Insufficient self control / Self discipline -0.12 0.25 -0.03 -0.50 0.61
Approval seeking / Recognition seeking -0.20 0.09 -0.15 -2.10 0.03*
Negativity / Pessimism -0.27 0.11 -0.18 -2.51 0.01*
Punitiveness -0.03 0.10 -0.02 -0.33 0.73
TOTAL SCORE -0.03 0.01 -0.17 -2.41 0.01*
**p<.01; *p<.05

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In which the second hypothesis is concerned, in our sample, individuals

with an increased level of early maladaptive schemas (total score on YSQ-S3)
presented low high-K strategy scores (see Table 2, r=-0.46, p<.01). As noticed in
Table 2, each early maladaptive schema, with the exception of entitlement /
grandiosity (r = -0.11, p > .05), correlated significantly with the individual mate
value (p < .01).

Table 2. Correlations of early maladaptive schemas and individual mate value/

reproductive strategy

VARIABLE MATE VALUE

r P
Emotional deprivation -0.27** <.01
Abandonment / Instability -0.35** <.01
Mistrust / Abuse -0.40** <.01
Social isolation / Alienation -0.47** <.01
Defectiveness / Shame -0.34** <.01
Failure -0.36** <.01
Dependence / Incompetence -0.43** <.01
Vulnerability to harm or Illness -0.41** <.01
Enmeshment / Undeveloped self -0.25** <.01
Subjugation -0.41** <.01
Self sacrifice -0.21** <.01
Emotional inhibition -0.37** <.01
Unrealistic standards / Hypercriticalness -0.24** <.01
Entitlement / Grandiosity -0.11 .11
Insufficient self control / Self discipline -0.22** <.01
Approval-Seeking/Recognition-Seeking -0.30** <.01
Negativity/Pessimism -0.49** <.01
Punitiveness -0.35** <.01
TOTAL SCORE -0.46** <.01

Discussion and conclusions

From an evolutionary perspective, an optimal level of couple satisfaction

can be considered an important pre-requisite of the direct fitness of an individual.
From the perspective of Life History Theory, which maintains that in any type of
environment resources are finite, two main reproductive strategies can be
identified (Bogaert & Rushton, 1989): (1) the K-selected strategy, which consists

Relationship between maladaptive schemas, couple satisfaction and mate value 71

Articles Section

in producing a smaller number of offspring with higher chances of survival, and

(2) the r-selected strategy, which consists in the production of a large number of
offspring, of whom only a minority may survive (Rushton, 1985; Giosan, 2006).
These reproductive strategies result from psychosocial traits of the individuals
(e.g., cognitive, emotional, behavioral traits).
In humans, the high-K strategy is expressed through the following
dimensions that involve the emotional, cognitive and behavioral characteristics of
an individual: (1) preserving or increasing health of self, offspring and kin; (2)
achieving upward mobility, which may translate into better access to healthcare
and educational and career opportunities for the offspring; (3) social capital (i.e.,
ability of receiving help from others when in need), and (4) careful consideration
of risks (Giosan, 2006).
In line with the current trend in the field of evolutionary psychology
regarding the understanding of the impact of psychological factors on individual
fitness, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between the early
maladaptive schemas, couple satisfaction and the individual mate value (high-K
reproductive strategy) on a sample of Romanian participants involved in couple
relationships.
Our data indicate that an increased level of early maladaptive schemas
predicts a decreased level of couple satisfaction, while a decreased level of early
maladaptive schemas predicts an increased level of couple satisfaction. Early
maladaptive schemas that predict an increased relationship satisfaction are:
abandonment / instability, emotional deprivation, social isolation / alienation,
defectiveness / shame, dependence / incompetence, vulnerability to harm or
illness, subjugation, self sacrifice, approval seeking / recognition seeking, and
negativity / pessimism. Based on these results we can infer that individuals (in the
case of our sample, females) involved in a couple relationship, might manifest a
lower level of couple satisfaction because: (1) they might have the feeling that the
partner cannot offer them enough emotional support and the protection they need;
they might also have the belief that they will be abandoned (abandonment /
instability); (2) they might believe that the partner does not offer them the love
they deserve, and they might feel worthless (emotional deprivation,
defectiveness); (3) they might feel isolated and different from their partners
(social isolation / alienation); (4) they might believe that they are unable to carry
out all the daily responsibilities without the help of their partner (dependence /
incompetence); (5) they might be extremely committed to the power of their
partner in order to avoid anger and abandonment (approval seeking); (6) they
might maximize the negative aspects of their lives (pain, dead, grief, conflicts,
blame, conflicts, unsolved problems, betrayals) and minimize the positive ones
(negativity / pessimism) (Young & Brown, 2007).
Our findings are in line with previous research indicating that early
maladaptive schemas are often a source of conflicts within couples, as they are
patterns imposed on the way reality is experienced and mediate the perception

72 Daciana Dumitrescu, Alina S. Rusu

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and responses to events on the scene of couple relationship (Young et al., 2003;
Dattilio, 2005). In addition to the schemas that each partner brings into a
relationship, individuals develop schemas specific to the relationship (Dattilio,
2005). If the schema about the partner is negative, individuals have higher
chances of processing and interpreting their partner’s behavior in a negative
manner and tend to be resistant to schema-inconsistent information (Chatav &
Whisman, 2009). Such negative appraisal of the partner might be associated with
marital distress, low self-esteem and depressive symptoms (Sacco & Phares,
2001), with negative impact on the reproductive value of an individual within a
couple. Baldwin (1992) proposes that individuals develop working models of
their relationships that can function as cognitive maps to help them operate on
their social environment. These cognitive structures (i.e., relational schemas)
include representations of self and others, as well as scripts for interaction
patterns (Whisman & Delinsky, 2002).
Individuals with a low level of couple satisfaction are predisposed to
selectively attend to and recall the negative behavior of their partner and to ignore
or forget positive behaviors (Halford, Keefer, & Osgarby, 2002). Recent studies
looking at the couple as unit of analysis (not the individual), indicate the
following maladaptive schemas as predictors of divorce: mistrust / abuse,
unrelenting standards / hypercriticalness and emotional deprivation (Yousefi,
2010). In our study, in which the analysis was performed at individual level, these
schemas were not significantly associated with the level of couple satisfaction,
but they negatively correlated with the individual mate-value. These negative
correlations are in line with the results on the maladaptive schemas as predictive
factors of dysfunctional couple relationships (Yousefi, 2010).
Our results indicate that individuals with a high level of early maladaptive
schemas have a decreased mate value (i.e., low-K strategy). A particularity of our
study is that the sample included mainly female participants, all situated within
the range of their reproductive age. As the Parental Investment Theory (PIT;
Trivers, 1972) states, during the course of evolution, males and females were
subject to different selective pressures in terms of survival and reproduction, in
terms that women invest more in their offspring (i.e., they carry the fetus, lactate
the babies and nurture them over years), while men have the possibility to invest
less time and energy in their descendants. In this light, one can infer that,
compared to a male partner, the mental health of a female partner involved in a
couple relationship has a higher impact on the reproductive success of the couple,
(i.e., the mental condition of the female partner might affect her investments in
the baby she is carrying or she is taking care of). Our study draws attention to the
impact of early maladaptive schemas on the reproductive success of individuals
that have already started to invest their efforts in the process of mate-choice, by
being already involved in a stable relationship.
We are fully aware that our results do not allow generalizations at
population level. However, the results are promising for further investigation of

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the impact of psychological traits on the individual direct fitness. The High-K
Strategy Scale (Giosan, 2006) allows deeper investigations of the association
between specific maladaptive schemas and the four domains by which an
individual can become a high-K strategist. In our sample, only two individuals
had children, so investigation should be extended toward the category of
individuals that have already scored in the direction of offspring production. Our
study is in line with the current trend in evolutionary psychology, that is the
investigation of the impact of psychopathology on the reproductive potential of
human individuals. This type of studies might offer insights into the
understanding of couple functioning with applications not only in the field of
couple therapy (psychological counseling and psychotherapy), but also in the field
of medical areas oriented toward the diagnosis and the treatment of the
individuals with reproductive problems.

Acknowledgments
This research was supported by grant PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0230, Darwinian
Psychotherapy – A clinical trial for an evolutionary-driven type of intervention for
depression, awarded to Dr. Cezar Giosan.

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