Abstract:
The current research investigated the relationships existing between self-silencing, rejection sensitivity, mentalization, and marital satisfaction in married people in Pakistan. Although these constructs have been extensively studied in the Western setting, little has been done to examine their influence in the South Asian setting where cultural values and family structures might influence marital adjustment in different ways. The main aim was to examine the hypothesis of whether self-silencing and rejection sensitivity are negative predictors of marital satisfaction with greater certainty and lesser uncertainty in mentalization as protective variables. The study used a quantitative research design and a sample of 217 married people recruited in the community centers, workplaces, and online. Standardized self-report measures were employed: the Silencing the Self Scale (STSS), Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (A-RSQ), Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-C and RFQ-U), and the Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI). The analysis of data was performed with the help of SPSS with the application of the descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, multiple regression, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. Results showed that self-silencing, rejection sensitivity and mentalization uncertainty had a negative relationship with marital satisfaction and mentalization certainty was positively correlated but not significantly. Regression analysis indicated that self-silencing, rejection sensitivity and uncertainty were significant predictors of lower marital satisfaction and accounted 16.2% of the variance. The paper identifies the adverse impact of silencing behaviors, rejection fears, and poor mentalization on marital satisfaction and the significance of cultural dynamics in determining these relationships.
