"My partner wasn't so disgusting when we first started dating, what happened?" : an exploration of change processes in close relationships and their causes."

Abstract

DEDICATIONThis dissertation is dedicated to my father, Mr. Clifford E. Shamblen who has taught me not to be afraid of aspiration.iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my primary advisor, Dr. Michael Cunningham, for his guidance and patience throughout the dissertation process. More importantly, I would like to thank him for all that he has taught during my tenure as a graduate student. I would also like thank my other dissertation committee members, Drs. Anita Barbee, James Beggan, John Birkimer, and Stan Murrell for their helpful comments and continued commitment to seeing me through the dissertation process between my proposal oral nearly 3 ½ years ago and the present time.I would like to thank my wife, Jackie, for seeing me through this journey, which, of-course, has its' ups and downs. I thank her for the support, love, and encouragement that she gave to me during the many nights I spent on the computer late into the night. We are more likely to "hurt the one's we love" than we are complete strangers (cf. R. Miller, 1991Miller, , 1997. Early in dating relationships, partners appear to me more likely to manage their impressions to present themselves as better than they really are (romantic inflation), and later in relationships, partners may behave in a manner that is worse than their typical behavior (post romanticism). The social allergy and social enrichment constructs are relevant to these phenomena, as these typologies focus on partner behaviors that are rather minor in their impact on an individual's affect to behaviors that have a major impact on an individual's affect. Negative non-intentional negative behaviors are presumed to be related to negative sex-role stereotypes, with men engaging in more and increasing their frequency of bad habits and women engaging in more and increasing their frequency of inconsiderate behaviors. Changes in these behaviors are also presumed to be related to changes in relationship outcomes according to the investment model.Two preliminary studies were conducted to examine stereotypes about changes over the first year of dating relationships using a sample of 161 undergraduates (study 1) and to examine the relationship between partner behaviors and individual satisfaction using a cross-sectional sample of 124 couples dating an average of 5.25 months (study 2). Study three examined investment model predictions, as well as examining possible explanations for why partners may increase vi their frequency of negative behaviors and decrease their frequency of positive behaviors. A longitudinal sample of 70 couples dating an average of 13.53 months was followed for two months to examine these questions.The present series of studies suggest that it is largely negative relationship behaviors that increase in frequency over the course of time in dating relationships. Consistent evidence was found for gender differences in behavior corresponding to negative sex-role stereotypes, with men being seen as engaging in more bad habit behaviors and women being seen as engaging in more...

Social allergies in romantic relationships: Behavioral repetition, emotional sensitization, and dissatisfaction in dating couples

“…Initial efforts to classify allergenic behaviors were conducted using theoretical analyses followed by the assessment of interrater reliability on qualitative data (Cunningham et al, 1997). We subsequently conducted principal components analyses on perceptions of social allergen behaviors in three samples (n ¼ 151, n ¼ 260, and n ¼ 266) and found consistent support for a four-factor model (Shamblen, 2004).…”

“…The Romantic Relationship Act Inventory (RRAI) consists of 42 allergenic behaviors that were extracted from a larger pool of 83 possible social allergens that were drawn from Cunningham et al (1997), the causes of upset and anger reported by Buss (1989), and items generated by the authors, seven graduate students, and 31 upper-level undergraduate students who were asked to list behaviors that may change as close relationships progress. Item selection was based on principal components analyses replicated across three samples, including the present Studies 1 and 2, and a third longitudinal sample of dating couples, the details of which are reported in Shamblen (2004). Consistent support was found for four categories of social allergens, and no support was found for coherent fifth or higher factors.…”

“…In the present context, it might be noted that principal component analyses of social allergen reports indicated that insults and condescension behavior were classified as intrusive behaviors; moody, physically self-absorbed behavior and sexual refusals were categorized as inconsiderate acts; but neglectful behaviors were divided between inconsiderate acts and norm violations, depending on the behavior. Sexually persistent behaviors were tested but did not load on a social allergy factor (Shamblen, 2004). Regardless, such results suggest the likelihood of gender differences in the frequency of social allergenic behavior and in the emotional responses to them.…”

Sosyal Alerjenler ve Kişilerarası İletişim Arasındaki İlişki: Kuramsal Bir Değerlendirme

“…Romantik ilişkide karşı tarafı idealleştirmeye katkıda bulunan önemli unsurlar vardır. Bunların başında, kişilerin zihinlerindeki ideal partner imajını ve ilişkisel beklentilerini karşı tarafa yansıtmaları (Cunningham vd., 2005, s. 274) ve ilişkilerin ilk aşamalarında partnerlerin kendilerini karşı tarafa olduğundan daha iyi sunmak için sadece olumlu taraflarını göstermeye yönelik izlenim yönetimi çabaları gelmektedir (Shamblen, 2004). Flört döneminde ya da ilişkinin başlarında karşı tarafa hoş görünmek ve beğenilmek için kişisel bakımına daha çok zaman harcayan ve olumsuz davranışlar sergilemekten kaçınan taraflar, bu çabalarını daha sonra azalttıkları için irrite edici davranışlar artarken, iyimserlik ve tutku ile gölgelenen ilişkinin başındaki algı yerini daha gerçekçi algılara bırakır (Hopwood vd., 2011, s. 708).…”