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1 Rethinking Jealousy Experience and Expression Rethinking Jealousy Experience and Expression: An Examination of Specialness Meaning Framework Threat and Identification of Retroactive Jealousy Responses Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jessica Renee Frampton Graduate Program in Communication The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee Dr. Jesse Fox, Advisor Dr. Kelly Garrett Dr. Shelly Hovick Dr. Roselyn Lee-Won 1 Copyrighted by Jessica Renee Frampton 2019 2 Abstract Extant jealousy models predict jealousy is a response to perceiving a partner’s current or anticipated involvement with a rival as threatening to a relationship’s existence, relational benefits, or self-esteem (e.g., Guerrero & Andersen, 1998; White & Mullen, 1989). Those three threats may explain cases of reactive jealousy, which occurs in response to a partner’s unambiguous involvement with a current rival (Barelds & Barelds-Dijkstra, 2007; Bringle, 1991), but they likely cannot explain cases of retroactive jealousy. Retroactive jealousy entails a negative response to information about a partner’s prior romantic or sexual experiences that occurred before the primary relationship began (Frampton & Fox, 2018b). This type of jealousy is evoked even though the partner is not perceived to be currently romantically or sexually involved with ex-partners. This difference in the nature of retroactive jealousy makes it difficult for current jealousy models to predict retroactive jealousy experience and expression. Two studies were conducted to further explore retroactive jealousy experience and expression. Study 1 experimentally tested predictions about threat to a specialness meaning framework derived from the meaning maintenance model (MMM; Heine, Proulx, & Vohs, 2006; Proulx & Inzlicht, 2012) alongside of predictions about threat to the relationship’s existence, relational benefits, and self-esteem. The study also examined the role of attachment and specialness meaning framework endorsement, the latter of iii which was evaluated with a new measure introduced in this study. Results provide tentative support for the idea that a specialness meaning framework is threatened in experiences of both reactive and retroactive jealousy, and that it is the primary type of threat perceived in cases of retroactive jealousy. The results also help clarify previous findings regarding attachment. Study 2 presented preliminary findings of a study regarding both face-to-face and mediated communicative responses to retroactive jealousy. In particular, an analysis of written descriptions of retroactive jealousy experiences and an examination of responses on communicative responses to jealousy measures suggested that people engage in a variety of communicative responses to retroactive jealousy, some of which are reflected in the existing communicative responses to jealousy typology (Guerrero et al., 2011), and some of which are not. An attempt was also made to link broad categories of responses to meaning maintenance strategies described in the MMM. Altogether, these two studies support the notion that retroactive jealousy is a distinct experience, and they serve as a solid foundation for future research on the role of communication in the experience and expression of this understudied phenomenon. iv Acknowledgments I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Jesse Fox, for her continued support and guidance throughout my time as a graduate student at Ohio State. She challenged me to grow as a scholar and inspires me in my academic pursuits every day. I am also thankful for the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Weaver and Dr. Kelly Garrett, who not only offered me advice about my research, but also about life and academia in general. Dr. Garrett served as one of my committee members alongside of Dr. Shelly Hovick and Dr. Roselyn Lee-Won, and I am appreciative of the time all of my committee members spent reading through my work and offering me invaluable feedback. Additionally, I am grateful to my friends and family for their encouragement throughout the past several years. My parents, sister, and fiancé consistently cheered me on in everything I did. My friends –particularly Jerrica, Ellie, and Guanjin—were also there to commiserate or ensure I took time to do something fun. My cat, Spencer, was adept at providing welcome distractions as well. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge support provided by the Time-sharing Experiments for the School of Communication (TESoC). TESoC funding allowed me to recruit participants via SSI panels for Study 1. v Vita 2010................................................................International Baccalaureate Diploma, Fishers High School 2013................................................................B.A. English – Public and Professional Writing, Indiana University 2015…............................................................M.A. Communication, Technology, & Society, Clemson University 2015 to 2016 ..................................................Graduate Fellow, School of Communication, The Ohio State University 2016 to present ..............................................Graduate Associate, School of Communication, The Ohio State University Publications Weaver, A. J., & Frampton, J. R. (in press). Crossing the color line: An examination of mediators and a social media intervention for racial bias in selective exposure to movies. Communication Monographs. Fox, J., Zhang, G., & Frampton, J. (2019). The dark side of social networking sites. In E. Downs (Ed.), Dark side of media and technology: A 21st century guide to media and technological literacy (pp. 118-129). New York, NY: Peter Lang. vi Frampton, J. R. (2019). Uncertainty, selective exposure, and message efficacy effects during life transitions. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 27, 46-61. doi: 10.1080/15456870.2019.1540420 Frampton, J. R., & Fox, J. (2018). Social media’s role in romantic partners’ retroactive jealousy: Social comparison, uncertainty, and information seeking. Social Media + Society, 4(3), 1-12. doi: 10.1177/205630511880031 Frampton, J. R., & Linvill, D. L. (2017). Green on the screen: Types of jealousy and communicative responses to jealousy in romantic comedies. Southern Communication Journal, 82, 298-311. doi: 10.1080/1041794X.2017.1347701 Fox, J., & Frampton, J. (2017). Social media stressors in developing romantic relationships. In N. M. Punyanunt-Carter & J. S. Wrench (Eds.), The impact of social media in modern romantic relationships (pp. 181-196). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. Fields of Study Major Field: Communication vii Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiii Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview ................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2. Jealousy Experience ......................................................................................... 5 Defining Jealousy............................................................................................................ 5 Types of Romantic Jealousy ........................................................................................... 8 Extant Jealousy Models ................................................................................................ 16 Attachment Theory ....................................................................................................... 21 A Meaning Maintenance Model Perspective ................................................................ 24 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 3. Study 1: Predicting Jealousy Experience ........................................................ 31 Threats........................................................................................................................... 32 viii Potential Moderators ..................................................................................................... 33 Affirmation ................................................................................................................... 35 Method .......................................................................................................................... 38 Results ........................................................................................................................... 53 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 4. Jealousy Expression ........................................................................................ 91 Jealousy Coping Strategies ..........................................................................................
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