Relational maintenance in mixed-modality romantic relationships
Date
2019
Authors
McDonald, James Ney, author
Harman, Jennifer, advisor
Martey, Rosa, committee member
Graham, Dan, committee member
Byrne, Zinta, committee member
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Abstract
Social information processing theory (SIP) provides clear predictions for how online and offline relationships should differ, but does not cover mixed-modality relationships (MMRs). Individuals in MMRs employ both face-to-face (FtF) and technology mediated communication (TMC) for relational maintenance. Stafford and Canary (1991) and Stafford et al. (2000) suggest that self-disclosure and discussion of one's relationship (relational maintenance strategies originally referred to collectively as "openness") depend on the use of another strategy, assurance-giving, to determine one's association with relationship satisfaction. I sought to determine whether relationship-talk and self-disclosure, independent of assurance-giving, are negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, and whether the use of face-to-face (FtF) or technology mediated communication (TMC) have any bearing on the interaction between assurance-giving and openness strategies. It was expected that assurance-giving would moderate the relationship between openness strategies and satisfaction when the strategies were enacted by the same communication channel but not when communicated by different channels. Mechanical Turk users (n = 289) in romantic relationships completed the openness and assurance-giving subscales of the Stafford et al. (2000) revision of the Relational Maintenance Strategy Measure (RMSM), reporting their engagement in maintenance behaviors using FtF and via TMC. Regression analyses were used to determine whether three maintenance strategies (assurance-giving, self-disclosure, and relationship-talk), communicated using either of two general channels (FtF and TMC), predicted satisfaction in romantic relationships, and whether assurance-giving interacted with either relationship-talk or self-disclosure, using TMC or FtF channels. The direct negative relationship between openness and satisfaction found in past research was not replicated in this study, but both TMC self-disclosure and TMC relationship-talk interacted significantly with TMC assurance-giving. For individuals with average or below average engagement in assurance-giving via TMC, greater engagement in self-disclosure or relationship-talk predicted lower satisfaction. These results suggest that openness strategies are not inherently harmful when communicated using FtF, but when communicated via TMC they may be detrimental to satisfaction if relationship partners do not complement openness strategies with heavy engagement in assurance-giving.
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Subject
openness
relationship-talk
self-disclosure
relational maintenance
assurance-giving
romantic relationships