Intimate Relationships and Media Exam 2

General Premise of Attachment Theory

the most fundamental beliefs people hold about relationships are formed during infancy, based on experiences with a primary caregiver

two underlying dimensions of attachment

anxiety about abandonment

avoidance of intimacy

Anxiety about abandonment

the worry that others will find us unworthy and leave

avoidance of intimacy

the ease and trust with which we accept interdependent intimacy with others

What are the four attachment styles

secure, preoccupied, fearful, dismissing

secure attachment style

comfortable with intimacy and interdependence; optimistic and socialable

preoccupied attachment style

Uneasy and vigilant toward any threat to the relationship; needy and jealous

fearful attachment style

fearful of rejection and mistrustful of others; suspicious and shy

dismissing attachment style

self-reliant and uninterested in intimacy; indifferent and independent

Attachment and DMC use

- Attachment anxiety is associated with online dating use

- Attachment avoidance is associated with less preference for face-to-face communication and greater preference for DMC

How attachment influences responses to romance media

- Avoidant attachment feels less enjoyment across all types of romance media

- Anxious attachment feels more enjoyment across all types of romance media

What cultivation theory predicts

Heavy media users develop worldviews similar to what they see in the media

The five dysfunctional relationship beliefs

- Disagreements are destructive

- partners cannot change

- mind-reading is expected

- sexual perfectionism

- the sexes are different

Dysfunctional relationship beliefs and Media use

Using media supports dysfunctional beliefs

Six love styles

1. Eros- strong physical component

2. Ludus- love as an uncommitted game

3. Storge- emphasizes friendship

4. Mania- demanding and possessive

5. Agape- altruistic, selfless, and dutiful

6. Pragma- practical, careful, and logical

Love styles and entertainment media

Entertainment media and love styles are genre-specific

Four Romantic Ideals

- Love finds a way

- One and only

- Partner idealization

- Love at first sight

-Media heavily endorses these ideals

Social Comparison Theory

Individuals often assess how well they are doing by comparing themselves to others around them

-assimilative- self-evaluation in the same direction as the comparison

-contrastive- self-evaluation in the opposite direction of the comparison

Assimilative comparison- Social Comparison Theory

self-evaluation in the same direction as the comparison

Contrastive comparison - Social Comparison Theory

self-evaluation in the opposite direction of the comparison

Upward assimilative comparison

feeling hopeful and making more favorable evaluations of oneself

Downward Assimilative Comparison

feeling concerned and making less favorable evaluations of oneself

Upward Contrastive Comparison

feeling envious and making less favorable evaluations of oneself

Downward Contrastive Comparison

feeling superior and making more favorable evaluations of oneself

Comparison and Media

Research suggests that individuals compare themselves to what they see on social media

Impression Formation

The impressions we form are an important part of starting and maintaining a couple of relationships

-Some impressions are more important than others

-We form an impression of someone, and we maintain that impression

Primacy effect

First impressions are important

Receny effect

most recent impression becomes more important as time goes on

Confirmation Bias in Impression Maintenance

- once you don't like someone, it's difficult to change your mind

- you search for things about them to confirm your impression instead of things that could change it

Impression Management

people's efforts to control the impressions that others receive of them

Self-presentation

presenting the person we would like others to believe we are

Script Theory

People have mental representations of how specific social situations unfold that then inform their actions

Affordances of Technology and Self-Presentation

Affordances make it possible to misrepresent the self or lie

Impression Management in Online Dating

Online daters use affordances to present themselves in idealized ways

-who they could be rather than who they are

Who is most likely ot be the victim of catfishing

middle-aged women

Who is most likely to be the perpetrator of catfishing

callous, self-centered people who enjoy inflicting harm upon others

Effects of catfishing

- often traumatic

-victims still experience grief when the relationship ends

types of sexual content

Mainstream and Explicit

Social Cognitive Theory in Relation to Sex

People learn by observing others

Processes of observational (vicarious) learning

attention

retention

reproduction

motivation

Role of Media Based on Social Cognitive Theory

When media provides models of sexual behavior, consumers may learn from those models.

What do we mean by media as a "sexual super peer"

adolescents often turn to the media for information about sex that they lack from other sources. like parents, school, and peers

Behavioral effects associated with sexual content consumption

- mainstream media consumption = more permissive attitudes about sex

-explicit media consumption = lower sexual and relationship satisfaction amongst men, attitudes that are conducive to sexual aggression

Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model

Entertainment may be more compelling than other persuasion tactics because it reduces our resistance through:

- The ways we relate to characters

- Transportation

- Enjoyment

Educational effects related to sex

Educational messages embedded in entertainment programs may increase:

- Safe sex intentions

- Positive attitudes toward birth control

- Likelihood of discussing sexual health with others

- Getting tested for sexually transmitted infections

- Intention not to have sex while intoxicated

Mood effects related to sex

Music is often tied to sex as a way to "set the mood," associated with higher sexual satisfaction

Sexting

the use of digital devices such as computers or mobile phones to create and exchange sexually explicit content

Non-consensual sexting

when someone is forced into making or sending sexual images, or when sexual images are shared without permission

Prevalence and Motivations for Sexting

Men are most likely to have both sent and received sexts

Positive outcomes of sexting

- Receiving affirmations, feeling better about yourself

- Boosting self-esteem

Negative outcomes of sexting

Feeling fear, shame, anxiety

Increased substance abuse

Risky sexual behavior

Why females more likely to experience negative consequences of sexting

Women are more likely to receive nonconsensual sexts

Definition of Conflict

An expressed struggle between at least two interdependent people who have, or think they have, incompatible interests

Three stages of conflict

- beginnings

- middle stages

- termination

Three conflict tactics

- integrative: concern for oneself and one's partner

- distributive: concern only for oneself

- avoidant: deny and avoid

Four conflict styles

- Avoidance: shrink from or evade conflict

- Validating: work toward mutual satisfaction

- Volatile: disagree passionate

- Hostile: demonstrate contempt

The roles of communication (DMC and entertainment) in instigating conflict

Differing expectations of DMC use lead to conflict like Phubbing

Technoference

the interference of technology on the interaction of two people

Phubbing

the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention

Effects of technoference on relationships

- leads to lower levels of life satisfaction

- causes conflict in relationships

Television as an instigator of conflict

- 2/3 of women and 3/5 of men reported that something about watching TV with their partner was frustrating to them

- 87% of couples argue about TV at least once a week

Video games as an Instigator

Playing Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games is related to conflict among married couples, especially when only one partner was a gamer

That DMC may not be harmful but it's less beneficial for conflict and why

go over this in the book

Aggression and its types

Aggression is the intention to harm

Types: verbal, physical, postural, relational

Television viewing and relationship conflict

- The more relationship program viewing a couple did, the more conflict there was in a relationship

- Viewing TV that's high in conflict is associated with being controlled in one's romantic relationship

-Negative conflict examples = negative outcomes

Celebrities and relationship conflict study

Participants used conflict tactics in their own relationship that they saw their favorite celebrity couple use

Definition of Jealousy

A complex of thoughts, feelings, and actions which follow threats to self-esteem and/or threats to the existence of quality of the relationship, when those threats are generated by the perception of a real or potential attraction between one's partner and a (perhaps imaginary) rival

Types of Jealousy

anxious, possessive, reactive, retroactive

anxious jealousy

Worry about one's partner finding someone else

possessive jealousy

wanting to prevent even innoquous contact between one's partner and one's rival

reactive jealousy

- in response to a particular scenario

- being upset when one's partner interacts with one's rival in a sexual way

Retroactive Jealousy

triggered by a partner's romantic or sexual past

Responses to Jealousy

Rival focused**related to lower relationship satisfaction

- protective strategies related to the rival

- Contacting the rival

Destructive **related to lower relationship satisfaction

- Aggression, negative communication, manipulation

- Counter jealousy

Constructive **associated with higher relationship satisfaction

- Behaviors that are working to maintain the relationship

Avoidant

- Staying silent on the matter, not addressing the jealousy at all

The combination of type and response to jealousy that are most frequent in romantic movies

reactive strategies/ responses are most common

Why scholars investigate social media and jealousy

Numerous studies have shown that more time spent on social media is associated with greater romantic jealousy

Who is more likely to experience social media jealousy

Women

Anxiously attached

Lower in self-esteem

Higher in need for popularity

Viewing a rival known to them online only

Based on research, which platform encourages more jealousy: Facebook or Snapchat and why

Snapchat because it's less visible and more exclusive

Three types of cyberstalking

Passive

Invasive

Duplicitous

The association between jealousy and cyberstalking

mutually reinforcing, cyclical relationship

The definition of infidelity

An emotional or sexual act that is outside of the primary relationship and constitutes a breach of trust or agreed-upon boundaries of that relationship

Deception

The conscious attempt to create or perpetuate false impressions among other communicators

The two areas of deception research

Deception production

Deception detection

Three features related to deception

Synchronity- is it happening in real time

recordability- is there a record of it

distributed- is physical space being shared

Uses and gratifications approach

a perspective on media use that emphasizes the active role users play in selecting the media to which they are exposed

Parasocial Interaction

the relationship we feel we have with people we know only through the media

-considered normal part of the human experience

Parasocial relationships

"relationships" established with media characters and personalities

Parasocial Contact Hypothesis

exposure to media figures who are different from oneself may reduce stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination

Paracouple relationships

Having an attachment to a couple you see in the media

Enduring interest in the couple

Liking and admiring the couple

Using the couples as an example for one's own romantic life

The amount of deception that seems to be the norm

Moderate amounts of deception are becoming more of a societal norm as opposed to our honesty and/or rampant amounts of dishonesty