PROBLEM STATEMENT: The way we interact in our relationships is continuously changing as technology advances. Technology can be used to enhance or destroy relationships depending on how people manage their use within relationships. Human relationships especially romantic ones are essential as they have an impact on a person's emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Most of the research to date has focused on the quantitative measurement of the advantages and disadvantages of technology as well as on the problematic use of smartphones. Little research has been done on the effect of smartphones on romantic relationship maintenance. THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The objective of this research was to find out how individuals in romantic relationships were using their smartphones to maintain their relationships. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY: This research followed an interpretivist qualitative approach. Data was collected firstly through a discussion on Twitter under the hashtag #“RomanticMaintenancewithSmartphones”. This was then followed by fourteen in-depth semi-structured interviews which were done with individuals who were in romantic relationships or had been in a romantic relationship less than six months ago. A combination of purposive, snowballing and convenience sampling techniques were used. The affordance theory was used as a theoretical framework for the research and the data was analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: The study identified individual and interactional affordances of smartphones for romantic relationship maintenances. Relationship thinking, breaking away from reality and displaying intimacy and affection where the individual affordances identified in the study. The interactive affordances were showing support and encouragement, planning and organising, openness for conflict management and displaying transparency. Personal values and culture were seen to have an impact on which affordances of smartphones a person utilised. In addition to maintaining the relationship positively, there were also negative outcomes of the actualization of the affordances of smartphones such as unrealistic expectations created on partners and partner abstraction.

This investigation examined the hypothesis that the presence of relationship threat leads to decreased working memory capacity, and also changes partner perceptions based on adult attachment style. To test this hypothesis, participants were exposed to a threat or no-threat manipulation and then completed measures examining partner perceptions and individual differences. Results suggest that the threat manipulation might have been strong enough for only highly anxious people. These individuals showed higher levels of working memory capacity following a relationship threat, compared to more securely attached persons, and later described their partners in more global, less desirable terms, regardless of threat condition. Highly avoidant individuals also described romantic partners in less desirable terms compared to more securely attached persons, regardless of threat condition. Individual difference measures suggest that rejection sensitivity and neuroticism may contribute to how romantic partners are perceived. Implications for future research on relationship threat and partner perceptions are discussed.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ruth Yamada Lopes Trigo.pdf: 513244 bytes, checksum: afc5cd4303fae05d3f2919eff131a742 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-01 / This is a specific study of young adults with a significant romantic relationship and who had made the expatriation process. This theme was chosen considering the current context in which professional success is constantly sought by the young people as well as they are encouraged by their family that supports and provides them the necessary resources to acquire and to develop their skills since adolescence. We know that nowadays job market is unstable, competitive and globalized. Therefore, in order to distinguish them among other peoples these young adults favored the abroad experience even if they had significant romantic relationship. This study s objectives were the knowledge and the comprehension of the personal and romantic relationships conflicts as well as to identify strategies that have been used, when they went out abroad by working or to study. The research was based on the Attachment Theory first developed by Bowlby and later it was expanded by other searchers in order to better understand the human beings emotional needs. The searcher has used semi-structured interviews with hermeneutic phenomelogical analysis. Although the young adults used strategies that had facilitated contacts with their couples, the results shows us the presence of conflicts and one can see that physical and temporal distances had interfered with the romantic relationship., even yet it was significant / Estudo específico de jovens adultos com relacionamento amoroso significativo os quais realizaram processo de expatriação. Este tema foi escolhido, considerando-se o contexto atual no qual a preocupação com o sucesso profissional é constante e por isso, buscado tanto pelo jovem como também incentivado por sua família que o apoia e lhe proporciona os recursos necessários para aquisição e desenvolvimento de suas competências desde cedo. Sabe-se que hoje o mercado de trabalho é instável, competitivo e globalizado. Assim sendo, nossos entrevistados visando uma diferenciação, privilegiaram a vivência no estrangeiro ainda que tivessem relacionamento amoroso significativo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compreender os conflitos pessoais e nos relacionamentos amorosos bem como identificar estratégias utilizadas, diante do distanciamento provocado pelo trabalho ou estudo no exterior. A pesquisa foi baseada na Teoria do Apego desenvolvida inicialmente por Bowlby e ampliada, posteriormente, por outros estudiosos com o propósito de melhor compreensão das necessidades afetivas do ser humano. Foram utilizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas, com análise fenomenológica hermenêutica. Os resultados demonstram a presença de conflitos diante dos quais foram utilizadas estratégias que facilitaram os contatos. Apesar disso, os distanciamentos físico e temporal interferiram no relacionamento amoroso

Media use may have the potential to influence romantic relationships, depending on the context of media use. For example, pathological media use, which includes symptoms of addiction such as relapse, withdrawal, and conflict with family and friends over media use, may be particularly damaging to romantic relationships. Additionally, research shows that pathological video game use can negatively influence factors of mental health, including depression. The current study includes 183 heterosexual couples from the Eastern United States. Both members of each couple completed online surveys answering questions regarding pathological media use, depression, and relationship satisfaction. Results showed that male pathological video game use was not associated with female romantic relationship satisfaction. Additionally, male pathological video game use was associated with increased levels of male depression, and male depression was associated with increased levels of female relationship satisfaction. However, male depression did not mediate the relation between male pathological video game use and female relationship satisfaction. Discussion focuses on the implications of pathological video game use on mental health, as well as problems within the sample, measurement, and short-term longitudinal study design.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of gender, age, duration of relationship, self concept clarity and personal agency in predicting romantic relationship satisfaction of emerging adults. Participants were consisted of 344 (70.3% female, 29.7% male) volunteered undergraduate students from one of the state universities in Central Anatolia. Age of the participants ranged from 18 to 25 with the mean of 20. 85 (SD = 1.65). The data was gathered using four instruments namely, Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), Self Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), Multi-Measure Agentic Personality Scale- Short Form (MAPSSF), and personal information form. In order to analyze the data, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted. Results revealed that gender, age and duration of relationship were not significant predictors of romantic relationship satisfaction / whereas self concept clarity and purpose in life dimension of personal agency were significant predictors which explained the 12% of the total variance in romantic relationship satisfaction scores of emerging adults. Results of the study are discussed in the light of the relevant literature. Finally implications of the study and recommendations for further research are presented.

This study examines how gender, deciding, and relationship confidence predict romantic relationship satisfaction using the Relationship Deciding Scale (Vennum & Fincham, 2011). Deciding refers to the thoughtfulness regarding the decisions made in and about relationships. Relationship confidence is the confidence a person has toward their ability to maintain a healthy relationship and handle conflicts in the relationship. Using an online survey, participants (age range: 18-22 years) answered questions about relationship confidence, deciding, and relationship satisfaction. They rated relationship satisfaction using their most recent relationship, so single people were included in the study. Multiple regression determined that deciding and relationship confidence positively predict relationship satisfaction for both sexes. Relationship confidence predicts above and beyond gender and deciding. Men were more satisfied than women.

This study examines how gender, deciding, and relationship confidence predict romantic relationship satisfaction using the Relationship Deciding Scale (Vennum & Fincham, 2011). Deciding refers to the thoughtfulness regarding the decisions made in and about relationships. Relationship confidence is the confidence a person has toward their ability to maintain a healthy relationship and handle conflicts in the relationship. Using an online survey, participants (age range: 18-22 years) answered questions about relationship confidence, deciding, and relationship satisfaction. They rated relationship satisfaction using their most recent relationship, so single people were included in the study. Multiple regression determined that deciding and relationship confidence positively predict relationship satisfaction for both sexes. Relationship confidence predicts above and beyond gender and deciding. Men were more satisfied than women.

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the possible factors that affect the adjustment to breakup of romantic relationships. Initiator status, certainty about the reasons of breakup, current relationship status, and perceived social support were examined in regard to adjustment to breakup. The sample of the study consisted of 397 participants (192 (48.4%) female, 205 (51.6%) male). At the beginning, the invited sample consisted of 561 (276 female, 285 male) participants / 164 of the participants who had not broken off their romantic relationship within the past two years were excluded. Data collection instruments of the study were demographic information form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Fisher&rsquo / s Divorce Adjustment Scale. One-way ANOVA and post-hoc test were conducted to determine the differences among initiator groups in terms of adjustment to breakup.Results showed that there were significant differences between the initiator and non-initiator groups and also between non-initiator and mutual decider groups. There wasn&rsquo / t significant difference between the initiator and the mutual decider groups. The results of t-tests showed that there was a significant difference between the groups who were certain about the reasons of breakup and those who were not in regard to adjustment to breakup. There was also significant difference between the groups who had another romantic relationship after the breakup and those who did not have regarding the adjustment to breakup. Besides these, bivariate correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between perceived social support and adjustment to breakup.