An Analysis of the Role of Emotional Acceptance in the Quality of Couple Relationships
Keywords:
Emotional acceptance, couple relationship quality, emotion regulation, emotional intimacy, marital satisfaction, couple therapyAbstract
This study aimed to explain the role of emotional acceptance in enhancing the quality of couple relationships and to identify its underlying psychological and interpersonal mechanisms. This qualitative review analyzed 13 selected scientific articles using thematic analysis; data were extracted through systematic literature review and coded with NVivo software (version 14) until theoretical saturation was achieved. The findings indicated that emotional acceptance significantly improves relationship quality by enhancing emotion regulation, strengthening emotional co-regulation, increasing intimacy, reducing chronic conflict, improving marital satisfaction, and reinforcing emotional bonding, through mechanisms such as increased psychological flexibility, reduced rumination, modification of maladaptive emotional beliefs, and enhanced emotional self-efficacy. Emotional acceptance is a core construct of healthy couple relationships and can serve as a central component of contemporary couple therapy interventions to promote relational stability, satisfaction, and psychological well-being.
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