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). / text

The pitch process is critical for both clients and agencies as it is the time period when clients are trying to identify the best agencies to hire and agencies are trying to win business. There are a multitude of variables that play a large role in the success of a client-agency relationship; however, the specific actions, events, and dynamics that occur during the pitch process can be especially important in setting the tone and influencing the outcome of the partnership. Many studies have examined various dynamics and phases of the client-agency relationship, but few have specifically focused on the earliest phase; the pitching process. This study fills this void by providing insights from clients, advertising agencies, and third-party consultants involved in all aspects of the pitching process to better understand the dynamics of the beginning stages of the client-agency life cycle. The literature review examines personal relationships, business relationships, and client-agency relationships and includes examples of relationship development models. Although these models provide a good backdrop for the way a client and an agency develop their relationship, they do not delve into specific aspects of the Pitch. Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Expectancy Confirmation Theory (ECT) provide insights both into how the pitch process facilitates exchange between clients and agencies and the ways in which all parties involved in a pitch have certain expectations. The extent that expectations are either confirmed or disconfirmed can lead to increased or decreased satisfaction with the overall pitch process. The four main research questions driving this study related to attraction, trust, and satisfaction. Respondents were asked how both attraction and trust were experienced and could be accelerated during the pitch process and were asked to identify the various components that were involved in the “most-satisfying” and “least-satisfying” pitches. The results indicated that both logistical and relational factors played a key role in the way in which a pitch process was experienced and although clients, agency professionals, and consultants shared many thoughts, each constituency offered a unique perspective. This research brings attention to the level of disconnect that occurs among the various constituencies and makes recommendations regarding ways to improve the pitching landscape. / text

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This thesis focuses on the course through which romantic relationships gain meaning in the lives of students at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Drawing from research conducted with some students from the university in 2007/08, the thesis illustrates the process of investing in relationships, arguing that romantic relationships feature significantly in their imagination of 'a life that is worthy of living.' The story that is related in this thesis demonstrates that, in the lives of the research participants, romantic relationships provide a cocoon for self-development. Arising out of a need that they described as youthful, the research participants pointed out that romantic relationships are all but a passing phase. While providing a space in which one could fulfil their youthful desires, romantic relationships became a part of the larger plan of life by paving the way for the birth of 'real' love. Being a king of love that lasts, real love provides a formidable base for marital bonds. The stories the search participants told of their love lives suggested that 'real loves' are born when one invests oneself in it, pouring in time, effort, trust and commitment. It is the investment of trust and commitment that makes these bonds last, thus making it a kind of a bond on which a successful marriage could be founded. Investing in building trust and commitment is likened to investing oneself in the relationship, because in doing so, the research participants pointed out that they emerge as men and women of particular natures. The investment of oneself in the relationship is a process that revolves around giving and taking. Drawing out three aspects through which the research participants embedded themselves in romantic relationships, the thesis highlights the relational aspect of self, pointing out that one's life's worthiness could be tied to the people who are around them.

There is little longitudinal, empirical evidence on which to base our understanding of teacher development in higher education. Although there is an extensive literature about teachers’ conceptions of and approaches to teaching, which acts as a useful theoretical foundation, there are a number of limitations in using these broad categories of description for investigating complex experiences such as teaching and teacher development. The aim of the current investigation was to provide an insight into how new lecturers in higher education develop as teachers and to identify some of the main influences upon this development. An important consideration in this was the use of fine-grained analysis to produce a more detailed account of teachers’ experiences than the traditional conceptions of teaching categories allow. The study employed a qualitative, longitudinal design with three semi-structured interviews over a two-year period. The eleven participating teachers had less than two years experience and were from a range of higher education institutions and settings. The teachers were from the subject areas of Sport, Physiotherapy, Psychology and History. Interviews were designed to encourage the participants to describe their everyday teaching experiences. The purpose of this was to ensure that the data represented real and specific instances rather than the questions generating general, idealistic responses. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed based upon the principles of building theories from case study research. In the first part of the main analysis, full case studies for three participants were developed to illustrate their experiences of development over the two-year period. This approach allowed for the generation of fine-grained and idiosyncratic insights into how new teachers in higher education typically develop. The second main part of the analysis identified a number of common themes in the data. This stage of the analysis was a highly iterative process that moved between the case studies, the interview transcripts and the literature. A range of criteria were used to check the analysis and ensure its quality. The principal finding from the current study was the identification of a number of influences upon the new teachers’ development. At the core of these influences were instances of interactions with students. These instances provided the teachers with richer and fuller feedback about their teaching, which appeared to support their development. There were also a number of other influences upon development, which in themselves impacted upon the amount and level of interaction between the teacher and students. These included confidence as a teacher and familiarity with the teaching situation, both of which were strongly related to the teacher’s content and pedagogical knowledge. The final influence, which also was seen to interact with the other influences, was the peer support and training received by the teacher in relation to teaching. Despite these common influences the idiosyncratic contextual factors, such as topic to be taught, also emerged as being significant for the way an individual taught and developed as a teacher. Based upon these insights, it is suggested that teacher development could be enhanced by focussing upon specific instances of interactions with students. These instances appear to provide highly specific and tangible moments that allow the conceptual aspects of teaching and development to be discussed, but also give an insight into the real challenges that a particular teacher is facing in their subject at a particular time.