Date of Award

January 2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Counseling Psychology & Community Services

First Advisor

Kara Wettersten

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between levels of ineffective arguing and loneliness above and beyond levels of relational maintenance behaviors in 182 male and female adults. Correlations did not support a large inverse relationship between loneliness and relational maintenance behaviors for both Romantic Partner Group (RPG) and Friendship Group (FG). This study has shown that there was a moderate relationship between levels of loneliness and relational maintenance behaviors for both groups. As hypothesized, but only for the RPG, regression analyses revealed that ineffective arguing did predict experiences of loneliness above and beyond relational maintenance behaviors only, whereas this was not supported for the FG. No differences were found between males and females in levels of loneliness and levels of ineffective arguing. Significant differences were found in use of maintenance behaviors between males and females in the FG but not the RPG, with females using more friendship maintenance behaviors than males.

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