Efforts to Maintain Monogamy in Committed Romantic
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EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN MONOGAMY IN COMMITTED ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS by Brenda H. Lee Bachelor of Arts, University of British Columbia, 2011 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Academic Unit of Psychology Supervisor: Lucia F. O’Sullivan, Ph.D., Department of Psychology Examining Board: Elaine Perunovic, Ph.D., Department of Psychology Jennifer Andrews, Ph.D., Department of English Lauren Cruikshank, Ph.D., Department of Culture & Media Studies External Examiner: Lisa Dawn Hamilton, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University This dissertation is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK August, 2018 © Brenda H. Lee, 2018 EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN MONOGAMY ABSTRACT Monogamy is widely viewed as the standard for heterosexual intimate relationships in Western societies. Despite prevailing norms and attempts to be monogamous, deviations from sexual and romantic exclusivity are common, most notably infidelity. In contrast with ample existing research in infidelity, research into monogamy is nascent, and reveals a multidimensional construct that extends beyond sexual exclusivity. Notably, there is a dearth of research examining the role of the tempted partner in resisting attractive others that may be a regular presence in their lives, such as a friend or co-worker. The current dissertation contributed to the burgeoning literature on monogamy in three ways: first, by exploring the range and prevalence of monogamy maintenance (MM) behaviours in which individuals in heterosexual relationships engage when faced with attractive others; second, by identifying the ability of demographic, personality, relationship, and sexual attitudinal variables, as pulled from the infidelity literature, to predict MM; and third, by situating monogamy maintenance use within the Investment Model, a well-validated model of relationship quality and maintenance. Three separate samples were recruited online through crowdsourcing to complete surveys regarding episodes of extradyadic attraction respondents had experienced. The findings revealed widespread MM use, with three main MM subscales identified: efforts to avoid contact and developing intimacies (Proactive Avoidance), efforts to bolster the primary relationship (Relationship Enhancement), and the relative lack of efforts to redirect one’s attention away from the attractive other and to attenuate one’s extradyadic attraction (Low Self- Monitoring/Derogation), all three of which were endorsed by the majority of respondents. Relationship commitment from the Investment Model and reciprocation of extradyadic ii EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN MONOGAMY attraction were predictive of MM use, whereas many robust predictors of infidelity were not. MM use was ultimately not predictive of infidelity outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of conceptualizing monogamy maintenance behaviours as part of the constellation of behaviours in relationship maintenance, support the study of monogamy as distinct from that of infidelity, and serve as an important initial step toward future personal, counselling, educational, and research applications. iii EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN MONOGAMY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over the past seven years, I have received support and encouragement from a wonderful collection of individuals. Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan has been a tremendous mentor, cheerleader, and sounding board. Her guidance, brilliance, and careful eye have made this a rewarding journey. I would like to thank my examining committee for their thoughtful and encouraging comments. Drs. Elaine Perunovic and Ryan Hamilton have gone above and beyond with office chats and occasional late-night email exchanges about statistical analyses over the past two years, as nascent ideas were crafted into a completed dissertation; thank you. My colleagues in the Sexuality and Close Relationships Lab provided much appreciated feedback for the monogamy maintenance inventory in its infancy; Dr. Daniel Voyer provided valuable statistical support in my efforts to learn R; Mary Byers provided much needed support with references, and Corinna McFeaters with supports with online recruitment. I would like to thank the editors and reviewers at Personal Relationships and Archives of Sexual Behavior for their incisive and encouraging feedback on the two manuscripts that make up much of the body of this dissertation. I would also like to thank the respondents who took part in these studies for sharing their time and experiences. Thanks to Dr. C. Ann Cameron, the Department of Psychology, the University of New Brunswick, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for their financial support of my dissertation and doctorate studies. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to Sascha Richer for his love and care, without which this document would not be possible. iv EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN MONOGAMY Table of Contents ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x 1.0 General Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Monogamy as the Standard for Intimate Relationships .................................................. 4 Deviations from the Monogamy Standard .................................................................... 14 Determinants of Monogamy Maintenance .................................................................... 27 Strategies to Maintain Monogamy ................................................................................ 43 The Investment Model .................................................................................................. 67 2.0 Goals of the Present Research ..................................................................................... 82 Primary Objective ......................................................................................................... 84 Second Objective .......................................................................................................... 85 Third Objective ............................................................................................................. 87 General Introduction References .................................................................................. 90 3.0 Article 1: Ain’t Misbehavin’?: Monogamy Maintenance Strategies in Heterosexual Romantic Relationships .................................................................................................. 111 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 112 Ain’t Misbehavin’?: Monogamy Maintenance Strategies in Heterosexual Romantic Relationships ............................................................................................................... 113 Prevalence and Impact of Infidelity ........................................................................ 113 Monogamy Maintenance Strategies ........................................................................ 115 The Current Study ................................................................................................... 119 Pilot Study: Item Generation and Refinement ............................................................ 120 Method .................................................................................................................... 121 Measures ................................................................................................................. 122 Results ..................................................................................................................... 123 Study One: MMI Item Refinement and Identification of Subtypes in Episodes of Extradyadic Attraction ................................................................................................ 125 Methods................................................................................................................... 125 v EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN MONOGAMY Measures ................................................................................................................. 126 Results ..................................................................................................................... 128 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 135 Study Two: Confirmation of MMI Subtypes in Ongoing Intimate Relationships ...... 137 Method .................................................................................................................... 137 Measures ................................................................................................................. 138 Results ..................................................................................................................... 140 Discussion ..............................................................................................................