Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2002. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-136). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ71583.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. / Prepared for: Dept. of Psychology. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 221-245.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Body image and dating relationships are two of the most important topics in the lives of the female adolescents. Yet, not much South African research has been done on either of these themes with adolescent populations and no research could be found to investigate a possible relationship between these two important aspects, both internationally and locally. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between female adolescents’ body image and their romantic relationships. Specifically, the aim was to determine if a relationship existed between participants’ self-rated attractiveness and body dissatisfaction, and their relationship status and romantic relationship satisfaction. There were two secondary aims. The first was to investigate how aspects like participants’ culture, age and body size were related to their body image and the second was to determine if aspects like participants’ culture, age and body size were related to their relationship status and satisfaction with their romantic relationships. Questionnaires were distributed to Afrikaans- and English- speaking White girls, Afrikaansspeaking Coloured girls and isiXhosaspeaking girls at four urban, coeducational, secondary schools and 511 questionnaires were completed. Participants selfreported their height and weight, self-rated their facial and bodily attractiveness on a 7- point scale, and completed two measures of body dissatisfaction: the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) Body Dissatisfaction subscale (Garner, Olmstead, & Polivy, 1983) and the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) (Secord & Jourard, 1953). Participants also indicated their current relationship status using five categories: has never dated anyone, not dating anyone currently, casually dating one or more people, dating one person exclusively, and engaged or planning to marry, and completed the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) (Hendrick, 1988), a measure of relationship satisfaction. With regard to the primary aim of the study, results show that there were significant relationships between some of the measures of body image and relationship status for the total sample. In general, it was found that the girls who were involved in exclusive relationships at the time of the study had better body image than the girls who were not. Yet, results for this relationship were different for the different cultural and body mass index groups. With regard to the relationship between body image and relationship satisfaction, the Body Cathexis Scale scores significantly predicted participants’ satisfaction with their romantic relationships. Yet both weight and culture were also found to play a role in the relationship between body image and relationship satisfaction. With regard to the secondary aims of the study, culture was found to be related to body image, body mass index, relationship status and relationship satisfaction, while age played a role in participants’ body mass index and relationship status, and body mass index was related to body image, but not to relationship status and relationship satisfaction. Therefore, participants’ culture and body mass index were significant with regard to body image and romantic relationships, but was also found to play a significant role in the relationship between these two.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The important role of interpersonal relationships in the adolescent developmental period has been extensively demonstrated in the literature (e.g. Brown, 1991; Gottlieb, 1991; Larson, Wilson, Brown, Furstenburg, & Verma, 2002). In the present study, adolescents’ relationships with their mothers, fathers, romantic partners, and best friends were investigated. The sample consisted of mainly White and Coloured late-adolescents from four schools in and around a large country town, representing different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Their relationships were investigated by assessing in what relationships adolescents reported the most and least of certain relationship qualities like support and intimacy. This was assessed with the use of two self-report questionnaires. The questionnaires used was the Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI), a 33-item Likerttype scale with which intimacy, companionship, affection, nurturance, satisfaction, relative power, punishment and conflict (C1) was assessed, and the Quality of Relationships Inventory (QRI), a 25-item Likert-type scale with which support and conflict (C2) was assessed (Touliatos, Perlmutter, & Holden, 2001). It was found that adolescents reported the different relationship qualities differently in all their relationships. The following are the main findings for the different relationship qualities: - Support: Support was found to be equally as high for mothers, best friends and romantic partners, with fathers ranked lowest for support. - Intimacy: Intimacy with romantic partners was reported as being the highest, followed by best friends and then mothers and intimacy from fathers being the lowest. - Companionship: The highest level of companionship was reported for best friends and romantic partners, who did not differ significantly from each other. This was followed by companionship from mothers and companionship from fathers was the lowest. - Affection: The highest level of affection was reported for mothers, followed by romantic partners and then fathers, with the lowest levels of affection coming from best friends. - Nurturance: Romantic partners were rated highest for nurturance, followed by best friends and mothers, who did not differ significantly from each other. The lowest level of nurturance was reported for fathers. - Satisfaction: Adolescents were most satisfied with their romantic relationships, best friends and mother-relationships, as they did not differ significantly from each others. Adolescents were least satisfied with their father-relationships. - Relative Power: Adolescents felt most powerful in their mother-relationships, followed by their relationships with their fathers. The third most power was reported in romantic relationships and adolescents felt the least powerful in their relationships with their best friends. - Punishment: Adolescents were punished most by their mothers, then their fathers and then their romantic partners and they were punished least by their best friends. - Conflict: Conflict reported was equally as high for mothers, fathers and romantic partners, with the lowest levels of conflict reported with their best friends. Apart from the above findings, analyses were also done between the different relationship qualities, relationships, and certain demographic factors. The results are supported by the developmental-contextual framework, as it emphasizes how the different aspects of adolescents’ relationships and lives are interrelated. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die belangrike rol wat interpersoonlike verhoudings in die ontwikkelingstadium van adolessensie speel, is al breedvoerig gedemonstreer in die literatuur (bv. Brown, 1991; Gottlieb, 1991; Larson, Wilson, Brown, Furstenburg, & Verma, 2002). In die huidige studie is adolessente se verhoudings met hul ma’s, pa’s, romantiese vennote, en beste vriende ondersoek. Die steekproef het bestaan uit hoofsaaklik Kleurling en Wit laat-adolessente van vier skole in en om ‘n groot plattelandse dorp, verteenwoordigend van verskillende kulture en sosio-ekonomiese agtergronde. Hul verhoudings is ondersoek deur te meet in watter verhoudings die meeste en minste van sekere verhoudingskwaliteite soos ondersteuning en intimiteit, gerapporteer is. Dit is ge-asseseer met die gebruik van twee self-rapporteer vraelyste. Die vraelyste wat gebruik is, was die “Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI)”, ‘n 33-item Likert-tipe skaal waarmee intimiteit, kameraadskap, toegeneentheid, versorging, tevredenheid, relatiewe mag, straf en konflik (C1) ge-asseseer is, en die “Quality of Relationships Inventory (QRI)”, ‘n 25-item Likert-tipe skaal waarmee ondersteuning en konflik (C2) ge-asseseer is (Touliatos, Perlmutter, & Holden, 2001). Dit is bevind dat adolessente die verskillende verhoudingskwaliteite verskillend gerapporteer het vir die verskillende verhoudings. Die volgende is die hoofbevindings vir die verskillende verhoudingskwaliteite: - Ondersteuning: Adolessente het die meeste en gelyke ondersteuning gerapporteer van hul ma’s, beste vriende en romantiese vennote, met die laagste ondersteuning komende van pa’s. - Intimiteit: Intimiteit met romantiese vennote is gerapporteer as die hoogste, gevolg deur beste vriende en dan romantiese vennote, en die minste intimiteit met pa’s. - Kameraadskap: Die hoogste vlak van kameraadskap is gerapporteer vir beste vriende en romantiese vennote wat nie beduidend van mekaar verskil het nie. Kameraadskap met ma’s was derde en kameraadskap met pa’s was laaste. - Toegeneentheid: Die hoogste vlak van toegeneentheid is gerapporteer vir ma’s, gevolg deur romantiese vennote en dan pa’s, met die minste toegeneentheid gerapporteer vir beste vriende. - Versorging: Romantiese vennote is die hoogste ge-ag vir versorging, gevolg deur ma’s en beste vriende, wat nie beduidend van mekaar verskil het nie. Die minste versorging is gerapporteer van pa’s. - Tevredenheid: Adolessente was mees tevrede met hul verhoudings met hul ma’s, beste vriende en romantiese vennote, wat nie beduidend van mekaar verskil het nie. Hulle was die minste tevrede met hul verhoudings met hul pa’s. - Relatiewe mag: Adolessente het die meeste mag gerapporteer in hul verhoudings met hul ma’s, gevolg deur hul pa’s en dan hul romantiese vennote, met die minste mag in hul verhoudings met hul beste vriende. - Straf: Adolessente is die meeste gestraf deur hul ma’s en dan hul pa’s, gevolg deur hul romantiese vennote en laastens hul beste vriende. - Konflik: Konflik was ewe hoog vir ma’s, pa’s en romantiese vennote, met die minste konflik gerapporteer vir beste vriende. Buiten bogenoemde resultate, is daar ook analises gedoen tussen die verskillende verhoudingskwaliteite, verhoudings en sekere demografiese faktore. Die resultate word ondersteun deur die ontwikkelings-kontekstuele raamwerk, aangesien dit beklemtoon hoe die verskillende aspekte van adolessente se verhoudings en lewens verbind is.