Browsing by Subject "Relationships"

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Ambiguity, power, and gender roles in the young adult dating scene
(2013-12) Steidl, Ellyn Arevalo; Raley, R. Kelly
It is well established that patterns of relationship formation in young adulthood are becoming increasingly complex. There is a growing heterogeneity in the types of relationships young adults can form, and there is evidence that the processes of relationship formation are marked by substantial ambiguity. This lack of structure in the young adult dating scene may be accompanied by more flexible gender roles in dating behaviors. Historically men’s roles centered on proactive initiation and women’s roles were characterized by reactive passivity; these gender roles structured the commencement and the progression of early relational ties into formalized unions. However, the deinstitutionalization of dating may have allowed women and men to enact new roles in the pre-relationship phase. This research asks if women and men equally exercise control in both the commencement of relationships and in determining their trajectory. Results indicate that men possess a unique controlling role of the ability to define a relationship, while women typically inhabit a role of clearly communicating their interests levels to men while simultaneously attempting to clarify men’s intentions.
Being a person : a brief unpleasant history
(2022-04-27) Srinivasan, Leela; Klink, Joanna, 1969-; Nye, Naomi Shihab
A collection of poems inspired by music, relationships, aging, memory, and place.
Brazil: Our Cousin
(2004) Cobb, Marsha
Change in foster care : the impact of relationships and environments on foster child functioning
(2010-05) Stepura, Kelly Jane; Schwab, A. James; Davis, King; Hodges, Kay; Pomeroy, Elizabeth; McRoy, Ruth; Pomeroy, Elizabeth; Baumann, Donald J.
The child welfare system has a responsibility to provide healthy environments for children who are removed from the care of their biological families. An important indicator of success in this endeavor is variations in child functioning following admission into foster care. Maltreated children are already at risk for difficulty adjusting to new environments and creating new relationships. This dissertation sought to explore the effect of change during foster care on child functioning. The effects of various types of change on children who were provided with treatment foster care services were evaluated using the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS®) as a measure of child functioning. Results indicated that placement change and foster sibling presence negatively impacted child functioning, but that caseworker contact, foster sibling removal, and caseworker change positively impacted child functioning. Policy and practice implications emphasize the positive impact of single-child foster care placements, reduced volatility within foster child environments and relationships, and increased caseworker contacts. Future research should examine factors that mediate the relationship between systemic volatility within the foster care system and child functioning.
Effects of the relationship and communication with the immediate supervisor on organizational learning and its outcomes, in the Texas Child Protective Services
(2017-01-13) Belciug, Constanta; Streeter, Calvin L.; Franklin, Cynthia G.S.; Lauderdale, Michael L.; Landuyt, Noel
Organizational learning (OL) theory suggests that learning is a critical prerequisite of organizational productivity and effectiveness in private and public organizations alike. In addition to theory, several empirical studies conducted in a variety of settings, including public entities, indicate that OL stimulates innovation, ethical practice, competent decision-making, and better client outcomes. Despite some promising findings, OL is not utilized as a strategy to enhance the organizational environment and performance in the public child welfare system. This is partially explained by the lack of theoretically-informed research that tests the effect of OL on performance indicators in child welfare. This study uses propositions formulated by Rashman, Withers and Hartley (2009), and Greiling and Halachimi (2013), in their OL models designed for public service entities, to test the effect of interpersonal relationships and communication on OL, service quality and service innovation, in a sample of Texas CPS caseworkers and their supervisors (N = 335). Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships between the individual-level and system-level latent variables (individual-level responses were aggregated to represent system-level constructs). Results indicated that positive relationships and communication with the immediate supervisor had a significant direct effect on OL and service quality and innovation. These variables also had a considerable indirect effect, through OL, on service quality and innovation. Additionally, OL had a large effect on service quality and innovation. The study used education, tenure, salary and intention to stay as control variables. Implications for research and child welfare administrative practice are discussed
Exploring the mutual influence of self and relationship : a theory of couple identity negotiation
(2010-08) Kwang, Tracy Nai; Swann, William B.; Neff, Lisa A.
Relationships can shape the self-concept, draw out unique aspects of an individual’s personality, and influence individual perspectives and goals. Yet the self is not a passive player in relationships as self-related goals and motives can also influence how relationships form and develop. While the field is replete with research on the unidirectional influence between self and relationships, surprisingly little has been done on synergistic effect of combined self and relationship influences. I present a new theory of couple identity negotiation that captures how two individuals in a relationship negotiate their independent identities to form a unified couple identity. I hypothesize that the process through which an individual and his/her partner merge to create a new couple identity is crucial in determining relationship longevity and satisfaction. I draw from social identity theory (Turner et al., 1987) and identity fusion theory (Swann et al., 2009) to propose three models of couple identity negotiation: Model A involves the self being subsumed by the partner; Model B involves a negotiation wherein the self and partner both contribute to the couple identity; Model C the self subsuming the partner’s self. Study 1 tests the links between the different models to relationship outcomes, namely relationship satisfaction and commitment. Study 2 explores personality correlates of the models. Results demonstrate that couple identity negotiation models predict different levels of relationship quality. Furthermore, the models are not significantly correlated with personality variables, suggesting that the models are specific to the relationship, and are not driven solely by individual differences.
Gay men’s experiences of heterophobia : a mixed-methods investigation
(2018-08) Chester, Matthew Ryan; Rochlen, Aaron B.; McCarthy, Christopher; Schallert, Diane; McCrory, Erin; Whittaker, Tiffany
Heterophobia, or gay men’s fear or avoidance of straight men, is an overlooked phenomenon that may contribute to gay men’s social isolation and disconnectedness (Haldeman, 2006; Provence, Parent, Rochlen, & Chester, 2018). The present study explored heterophobia in two distinct phases. Phase one employed structural equation modeling to examine associations between heterophobia and constructs relevant to gay men’s experiences of minority stress in a sample of 356 self-identified gay men. Variables included in the model were age, race, education, developmental experiences of rejection from straight men, degree of outness, number of straight male friends, internalized homonegativity, gay-related rejection sensitivity, conformity to masculine norms, experiences of heterosexist harassment and discrimination, gay group identity, and perceived social support. Phase two of my study used qualitative methodologies to interview 11 gay men who scored highly on a heterophobia measure in phase one. My findings are exploratory in nature and contribute to an emerging body of empirical research that` examines gay men’s concerns, fear, or avoidance of straight men. Findings are discussed in context of existing theory and research on heterophobia.
Interpersonal resilience in romantic relationships
(2010-12) Beck, Gary Alan; Vangelisti, Anita L.; Dailey, Rene; Daly, John; McGlone, Matthew; Surra, Cathy
The purpose of this research was to examine the characteristics of interaction in romantic relationships that enable partners to effectively deal with significant stressors to their relationship. These characteristics were identified through the development of a measure of interpersonal resilience in romantic relationships. The dissertation consisted of three phases: Phase one solicited from communication experts their perceptions of the communication characteristics that encourage resilient patterns of stress management in romantic relationships. This feedback was evaluated and organized into categories. Phase two sought to identify underlying dimensions of the categories, and to statistically validate the most important characteristics of communication contributing to resilient outcomes. Communication experts were asked to rate forty items addressing the various categories of communication characteristics generated in part one. Their data were factor analyzed, and reduced to a list of twenty-eight items that made up the initial Interpersonal Resilience in Romantic Relationships (IR3) measure. The final part of the this research, phase three, validated the role that IR3 dimensions play mediating the effects of a significant stressor, in this case job loss, on relationship outcomes of quality, satisfaction, and commitment.
Language dimensionality in Spanish-English bilingual children
(2016-08-12) Lugo-Neris, Mirza Jeannette; Peña, Elizabeth D.; Bedore, Lisa M; Sheng, Li; Griffin, Zenzi M; Anthony, Jason L
The purpose of the current study was to characterize the relationships across languages and domains on a variety of linguistic tasks for a sample of school-aged Spanish-English (SE) bilingual children. Data for 164 bilingual second and fourth graders were analyzed and included the following measures (in Spanish and English): semantics and morphosyntax subtests of the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment - Middle Extension (BESAME; Peña, Bedore, Iglesias, Gutiérrez-Clellen, Goldstein, in development), the Test of Narrative Language (TNL; Gillam & Pearson, 2004; Gillam, Peña, Bedore, & Pearson, in development), and the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT; Brownell, 2000; Brownell 2001). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) allowed testing the applicability of hypothesized models of language based on single-language studies to a bilingual sample. In addition, cross-linguistic models were tested to examine the underlying structure of language across measures in both Spanish and English. Examination of dimensionality by language in school-age SE bilingual children yielded a 3-factor model (semantics, morphosyntax, and discourse). However, findings for cross-linguistic dimensionality were inconclusive. Results are discussed in terms of relationships within and across languages as well as within and across domains.
Letter to H.B. Stenzel from A.P. Allison on 1940-10-23
(1940-10-23) Allison, A.P.
Managing academic and personal life in graduate studies : an interactive qualitative analysis of graduate student persistence and transformation
(2011-08) Winston, Rachel Anne; Roueche, John E.; Northcutt, Norvell; McClenney, Kay; McCombs, Maxwell; Butler, Jess; Reddick, Richard; McCoy, Danny
This study examines the impact of academic and personal life on graduate student persistence and transformation. Of particular interest are the relationships, emotions, and life management skills required throughout the graduate experience and how socialization, emotional intelligence, and advising aid students through their academic program. With an average of seven to eight years required to complete a doctoral program, life happens. Students enter and leave relationships, children are born, family members have emergencies, health issues arise, and emotional growth takes place. Therefore, students transform not only academically, but in many ways. These are intertwined as evidenced by the data-derived system representation. The importance of understanding the interconnected links in graduate experience spans academic, social, economic, and societal spheres. Each year hundreds of thousands of students enter graduate school. However, for doctoral students, there is an enormous gap between acceptance and completion. After seven years, approximately 50 percent complete their program and after ten years the rate climbs to only 57 percent (Council of Graduate Schools, 2010). This study offers a systemic representation and a four-stage model of graduate student development, incorporating student-identified factors: Faculty Impact, Life Management, Relationships, Playing the Game, Growth/Transformation, Emotions, and Reward/Purpose. Stage I: Orientation and Socialization Stage II: Adjustment and Transition Stage III: Navigation and Transformation Stage IV: Completion and Advancement The results, presented as a systems-based model, along with analysis, may be used to support faculty, advisors, and administrators in creating better advising, orientation, evaluation, and support systems. Departmental policies may be improved to identify at-risk students, provide mentorship opportunities, or obtain continual feedback to understand the underlying factors that may stop students from progressing. This research might also help identify students during the application/admission process. The methodological framework used to create the system produced in this study is Interactive Qualitative Analysis (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004), a methodology that provides the quantitative rigor of algorithmically generated data analysis, combined with the qualitative descriptiveness of interviews, in order to provide insights into the drivers of graduate school persistence. This methodology uses a systematic, protocol-driven research procedure to construct a unified, descriptive diagram to illustrate the phenomenon.
Maximizing and relationships
(2009-05) Love, Robert William Buechner, 1982-; Glenn, Norval D.
Personality is powerfully predictive of behavior. Neuroticism, a personality trait from the Five Factor Model of Personality, has repeatedly been linked to relationship dissatisfaction and an increased susceptibility to eating disorders. The present investigation uses two large data sets to determine if Maximizing, the tendency to search for the very best option in an array of options, is related to marital satisfaction and body-image. Statistical analyses show that maximizers of both sexes diet more frequently, are more dissatisfied with their bodies, and value physical attractiveness in a sexual partner more than satisficers. Maximizers are less satisfied with their romantic relationships, are more likely to never marry, and more likely to get divorced once married than satisficers. Unpredicted, Maximizing was negatively correlated with Neuroticism (r = -.112, p < .01) and positively correlated with two personality traits known to be beneficial for relationships, Agreeableness (r = .182, p < .01) and Conscientiousness (r = .258, p < .01).
Perceived acceptability of abusive behavior in the maintenance of psychologically abusive relationships
(2011-08) Chang, Christine Susan, 1977-; Swann, William B.; Gosling, Samuel D.; Beevers, Christopher G.; Pennebaker, James W.; Loving, Timothy J.
In this series of studies, I hypothesized that people’s perceptions of certain psychologically abusive acts as acceptable or not acceptable would impact whether they would remain in psychologically abusive relationships. In Study 1, I explored the historic link between low self-esteem in women and receiving high levels of abuse. I found that women who were low in self-esteem found psychologically abusive behavior depicted in a series of vignettes to be significantly more acceptable than did women who were high in self-esteem. In Study 2, I found that women who were currently in abusive relationships found psychologically abusive behavior depicted in a video to be significantly more acceptable than did women who were currently in non-abusive relationships. Furthermore, I found that the woman’s own abusive behavior toward her partner was a stronger predictor than the abusiveness of her partner of whether she endorsed that she would stay in the depicted abusive relationship. Also, I found that among women who were highly abusive toward their partners and high in self-esteem, the more abuse they were receiving from their current partners, the more acceptable they found the depicted abusive behaviors. Based on these findings, in Study 3 I explored whether priming women’s (a) awareness of their own aggressive behaviors and (b) how these behaviors could change might have stronger impact on women’s views of the acceptability of their own abusive behaviors than women’s awareness of their partner’s aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, I explored whether these different foci would have impact on real-life consequences in changing abuse levels in the current relationship. The findings were mixed; short-term effects implied that writing about conflict, no matter whether the focus is on the self’s aggression or the partner’s aggression, seemed to encourage women to regard leaving an abusive relationship as more acceptable than writing about a neutral topic. Over the long-term, however, writing about conflict, no matter whether the focus was on the self’s aggression or the partner’s aggression, exacerbated the partner’s psychologically aggressive behavior.
Querido Amigo: An Exchange of Culture and Friendship between Argentina and the United States
(2011) Nordquist, Stacy
Relating with gods : investigating human-divine relationships in the prayers of Israel and Mesopotamia using a performance approach to ritual
(2016-05) Davis, Ryan Conrad; Huehnergard, John; Hackett, Jo Ann; Kaplan, Jonathan; Frechette, Christopher; Lenzi, Alan
The prayers of ancient Israel and Mesopotamia are rare windows into how ancient peoples interacted with their gods. Much work has already been done to describe how social conventions are important driving factors behind these interactions with deities. In order to utilize these observations and further understand the relationships between humans and gods, it is important to understand the ritual environment in which these relationships are created. A performance approach to ritual allows us to properly contextualize the human-divine relationships that are attested in prayers within their ritual environments. In both Israel and Mesopotamia, actions within rituals take place in framed domains; because all social action occurs in framed domains as well, rituals can be profitably compared to other domains, such as theatre or sports. This dissertation uses a performance approach to analyze four different groups of prayers from the first-millennium BCE. Two groups of prayers are from Mesopotamia and are clustered around two rituals: the Akkadian šuilla and the dingiršadabba. The other two groups of prayers come from the Book of Psalms: the individual and communal laments. A performance approach allows us to talk about the rituals that utilize these prayers in two complimentary ways that are similar to how we talk about theatre in Western cultures. We can talk about a theatrical production without discussing what happens on-stage, and we can talk about what happens on-stage while ignoring off-stage elements. Because these ancient Near Eastern rituals are framed domains of action, we can talk about the domains themselves without entering inside of them, and likewise, we can talk about the world inside these domains while ignoring the world outside. This approach helps us better understand the bounded nature of the relationships that take place within ritual domains, and it helps us better understand how the domains themselves influence the relationships within them. This dissertation offers not only new ways to explore human-divine relationships but also new ways for understanding ritual efficacy in the both Israel and Mesopotamia.
Relationship commitment and monitoring alternatives using Facebook in unmarried romantic relationships
(2013-08) West, Adam Redd; Gershoff, Elizabeth T.
Recent technological innovations affecting romantic relationships include the rise in prominence of social networking sites (SNSs), including Facebook. SNSs have become an increasingly fundamental part of developing and maintaining relationships. A majority of research focuses on the ways in which individuals access SNSs. Less studied is how individuals' use of SNSs affects their romantic relationships. An important aspect of the stability of romantic relationships is the construct of commitment. Relationship commitment is conceptualized as the intent to continue a relationship into the future and is composed of many constructs that can either keep individuals in or pull them away from the relationship. One aspect that may pull individuals away from their relationship is the quality and availability of potential alternatives, or relationship forms other than the current one. There is evidence that using tools like Facebook may prompt individuals to pay attention to alternative relationship options. This study examined how SNSs use may affect current relationships with a sample of 645 unmarried individuals in dating relationships and with current Facebook accounts. All participants completed measures of their Facebook use, relationship commitment, and attention to relationship alternatives. A sub-sample of 432 participants were randomly assigned to one of two study conditions. One condition prompted participants to view the Facebook profiles of friends that they might consider as possible relationship partners and the other condition prompted participants to view organizations they follow on Facebook. Analyses indicated that Facebook monitoring condition did not predict differences in individuals' reported commitment. However, hierarchical regression analyses using the full sample revealed that high levels of online monitoring of alternatives were associated with low levels of commitment for both males and females, but more so for males. Analyses also revealed that low levels of satisfaction predicted high levels of monitoring of alternatives and high levels of Facebook use predicted high levels of online monitoring of alternatives. These results suggest that tools such as Facebook can be used to monitor alternatives, yet doing so may negatively affect current romantic relationships. Future studies should explore these relationships by using a repeated measures design to assess change over time.
Relationship pursuit and sociosexuality in a time by investment model of mating strategies
(2016-08) Wilkey, Brian Mize; Eastwick, Paul; Loving, Timothy; Gleason, Marci; Neff, Lisa; Buss, David
Sociosexuality (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948; Kinsey Pomeroy, Martin & Gebhard, 1951) indicates the extent to which individuals are willing to engage in sex outside of a committed relationship. Mating psychology consistently uses this construct to measure an individual’s pursuit of short-term mating strategies (Buss & Schmitt, 1993). However, some work conceptualizes short-term relationships as those marked by brevity (Jonason, Li, Webster, & Schmitt, 2008) and other work conceptualizes shortterm relationships as those marked by low amounts of investment in a partner (Gangestad & Simpson, 2000a). Though time and investment are undoubtedly related to one another, this work examines the effect of sociosexuality on mating pursuit by experimentally manipulating time and investment to predict three patterns of possible results: Exclusively short-term relationship pursuit, exclusively low investment relationship pursuit, or general/open relationship pursuit. Four studies measure individuals’ sociosexual orientation and ask participants to rate the future possibility of relationships (i.e., time orientation – short-term vs. longterm) and the resources committed to a relationship (i.e., investment orientation – low vs. high resource investment). Study 1 examines the association of sociosexuality, time, and investment for those currently in relationships and those considering previous relationships; as well, Study 1 examines sociosexuality’s association on different relationship centered variables such as satisfaction and commitment. In Studies 2 and 3, time and investment are experimentally manipulated to create relationship descriptions; participants’ sociosexual orientations are then used to predict the endorsement, incidence, and frequency of these relationship descriptions. Studies 2 and 3 also examine how the manipulation time and investment contribute to the evaluation and endorsement of the relationship descriptions. Finally, Study 4 uses self-report and behavioral measures to examine how sociosexuality relates to openness and flexibility of relationship pursuit using a confederate design. Results support the third, more general/open pattern of relationship pursuit. Results suggest that unrestricted individuals are more flexible and likely to pursue the most available mating strategy, rather than one marked by a specific amount of time or investment. Additionally, time and investment are found to contribute separately to the evaluation and endorsement of the relationship descriptions.
Romantic relationship dissolution and health outcomes
(2016-05) McDonald, Meagan Ann; Loving, Timothy J.; Gleason, Marci; Neff, Lisa
The purpose of this study was to test the prospective association between perceived social support and mental and physical health outcomes following a romantic breakup. Additionally, I tested whether an individual’s dependence on his or her partner prior to their relationships’ termination moderated the degree to which perceived social support buffered individuals from negative health outcomes following romantic relationship dissolution. I drew on an extant dataset that included 97 individuals who experienced a romantic breakup at some point during the study’s 9-month duration. All participants completed baseline measures of mental and physical health as well as perceived social support during the first six months of their romantic relationships. They also completed measures of romantic relationship dependence every two weeks up until reporting their relationship’s termination. Upon breakup, participants completed assessments of mental and physical health. Consistent with the limited research documenting a prospective link between perceived social support and mental health (and study hypothesis), social support and relationship dependence interacted to predict mental health following a breakup (controlling for baseline mental health, sex, and breakup initiator status). Results are discussed in the context of the broader social support literature and a framework for future studies on this topic is provided.
Spending doesn't happen in a vacuum : three essays on psychological factors of consumer spending
(2023-04-19) Alberhasky, Max; Kumar, Amit, (Assistant professor of marketing and psychology); Raghunathan, Raj; Gershoff, Andrew; Kim, Tami
If you are anything like me, the days that go by without spending any money at all are few and far between. As societies have developed, it would seem that spending money on a frequent basis has become a way of life for many consumers. A seemingly endless and ever-increasing number of brands, social occasions, and websites/applications provide an abundance of opportunities for us to part ways with our money. Scenarios such as grabbing a couple of drinks with a friend after work, buying a gift for an upcoming birthday celebration, or purchasing tickets online to an upcoming sporting event all involve seemingly straightforward transactions which involve spending money. My dissertation contributes to the consumer financial decision-making literature by examining how interpersonal features (between consumers, essays 1 & 2, between business and consumer, essay 3) of a purchasing scenario may impact the decisions consumers make or the satisfaction consumers derive from spending their money. In this dissertation, I explore how the method of payment consumers use to pay for a shared experience can impact the enjoyment of an experience (essay 1), how income inequality in relationships can impact spending on gifts (essay 2), and how the pricing structure retailers offer to consumers can impact their perceived trustworthiness and purchase intent (essay 3). In my first essay, we propose that the method of payment consumers use to pay for shared experience can impact how transactional the payment is perceived to be, which has downstream consequences on the enjoyment of an experience. My second essay examines how relative income, or income inequality, in social relationships can impact the amount of money consumers spend on gifts. We find that when gift-givers earn relatively more than the gift recipient, they engage in more prosocial spending via buying more expensive gifts, on average, compared to buying a gift for a recipient who earns relatively more than themselves. In my third essay, we study how the pricing structure retailers choose to convey to customers can impact how trustworthy the retailer appears, which subsequently influences purchase intentions.
United States-Ecuadorian Relations: Problems and Promises
(2005) Dickler, Paul