Perceived mattering in young adults' romantic relationships

The central goal of this study was to examine the construct of perceived mattering, the psychological tendency to perceive the self as significant to specific others, with regard to a romantic partner. In Study 1, data were collected from young adults involved in romantic relationships (N = 173) using open-ended survey response techniques. Findings from a qualitative analysis provided complex and rich information about young adults ’ perceptions of mattering to their current romantic partners. Responses were used to develop a scale that was administered in Study 2 to a sample (N = 99) of young adults in romantic relationships. Analyses indicated that the scale is internally consistent and tests of association with measures of the quality of alternatives, relationship satis-faction, and investment size offer support for the validity of the measure. KEY WORDS: early adult romantic relationships • perceived mattering • scale development James (1890) felt that the worst punishment that could be devised for a human would be to move through life remaining unnoticed by anyone. The opposite condition, feeling noticed by others, has been described as matter-ing (Rosenberg, 1985; Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981). Mattering can be thought of as a global construct of relevance to others (e.g., Schieman &amp