Men’s Endorsement of Monogamy: The Role of Gendered Relationship Scripts on Beliefs about Committed Relationships, Love, and Romance by Amy Catherine Moors A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology and Women’s Studies) in The University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Terri D. Conley, Chair Assistant Professor Allison N. Earl Associate Professor Robin S. Edelstein Professor Deborah Keller-Cohen © Amy C. Moors 2015 DEDICATION To Susan J. Moors and Richard J. Moors for both of your unwavering support, encouragement, and optimism since 1984. And, to Daniel Ethan Gosnell for your sage advice, smiling face, and willingness to move from the east coast to the midwest. You’re my dreamboat. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have received support, advice, mentorship, and encouragement from a great number of individuals. I would have ended up on a different path if it was not for my undergraduate mentors at William Paterson University: Katherine Makarec, Elizabeth Haines, Neil Kressel, Jan Pinkston, and Bruce Diamond. I would also like to thank Thomas Toppino for his mentorship and passing down his careful empirical eye to me during my time at Villanova University. My dissertation committee of Terri Conley (my advisor), Robin Edelstein, Debby Keller-Cohen, and Ali Earl have provided me with excellent support and constructive critique as I moved from ideas to completed studies. I am truly grateful for this all-star committee. In addition, Terri, Robin, and Abby Stewart have been deeply influential throughout my six years of training; I have grown in all aspects of scholarship from them. I look forward to continuing our collaborations over the years. I have met so many people over the years and I would like acknowledge how wonderful they are: Jes Matsick, (Cool) Ali Ziegler, Bill “BJ” Chopik, Brit Wardecker, Nicole Sorhagen, Jen Rubin, Lanice Avery, Matt Synder, Emily Leskinen, Ed O’Brien, Amanda Gesselman, Dylan Selterman, Will Ryan, Shawn Beard, and Heath Schechinger. Throughout this dissertation process, Jes, my best friend and colleague, has thankfully spent countless hours listening to me talk about this work…and all of our other projects. Lastly, Lindsay Csabai has always seen a iii bigger picture for me. I will now be able to show off my engraved gifts with “Dr.” before my name that you bought me years ago. My outstanding research assistants over the years should also be acknowledged for their passion, determination, critical feedback, optimism, and refreshing senses of humor. I have been honored to be one of your mentors and I have also grown because of all of you: Deepti Joshi, Kelly Grahl, Hussein Nasralah, Abby Dolan, Rachel Cultice, Michael Moore, Emily Hanna, Erica Meehan, Morgan Perry, Shelley Bultje, Mary Kruk, Jane Spann, Sienna Fasel, Kayla Martin, Destiny Plantz, Nicole Grinstein, Nomi Kornfeld, Sara Chadwick, Bernadette Blanchfield, Melanie Gingell, Sara Burke, Jess Morak, Elyse Oberland, Angela Khoshnoud, Erin Fowler, Jenn Kraft, and Ashley McDugald. Members of the ADVANCE Program (especially Jan Malley), Personality, Relationships, and Hormones Lab, Gender and Personality in Context Lab, Sexual Diversity interest group, Personality and Social Contexts Psychology area, and Gender and Feminist Psychology area should also be acknowledged for their intellectual contributions to my development and their welcoming climates. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 Men, Women, and Relationships Scripts .................................................................................. 2 Gendered Relationship Scripts in Casual Contexts. .................................................................. 2 Gendered Relationship Scripts in Monogamous Relationships ................................................ 4 Men’s Endorsement of Monogamous Long-Term Relationships ............................................. 7 Do Men Disapprove of Monogamy or Relationship Scripts Associated with Monogamy? ... 10 Aims of the Present Studies .................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2 STUDIES 1A AND 1B - PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF MEN AND WOMEN’S FRUSTRATION WITH GENDERED RELATIONSHIPS SCRIPTS ................. 18 Method .................................................................................................................................... 19 Participants and Procedure .................................................................................................... 19 Measures: Study 1a ............................................................................................................... 20 Preliminary Evidence Study 1a: Results ................................................................................ 21 Measures: Study 1b ............................................................................................................... 22 Preliminary Evidence Study 1b: Results ................................................................................ 24 Preliminary Evidence Studies 1a and 1b: Discussion ............................................................ 26 CHAPTER 3 STUDY 2 - THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MONOGAMY-RELATED SYMBOLS AND GENDERED RELATIONSHIPS SCRIPTS ............................................... 32 Method .................................................................................................................................... 33 Participants and Procedure .................................................................................................... 33 v Symbols and Artifacts ........................................................................................................... 34 Measures ................................................................................................................................ 34 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 35 CHAPTER 4 STUDY 3 - SALIENCE OF PLANNING RELATIONSHIP EVENTS AND THE ROLE OF GENDER AND RELATIONSHIP STATUS ................................................. 39 Method .................................................................................................................................... 40 Participants ............................................................................................................................ 40 Procedure ............................................................................................................................... 41 Measures ................................................................................................................................ 45 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 50 CHAPTER 5 STUDY 4 - SALIENCE OF ENGAGEMENT PROPOSAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE ROLE OF GENDER AND RELATIONSHIPS STATUS ..................................... 66 Method .................................................................................................................................... 67 Participants ............................................................................................................................ 67 Procedure ............................................................................................................................... 68 Measures ................................................................................................................................ 69 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 70 CHAPTER 6 STUDY 5 - SALIENCE OF VALENTINE’S DAY IDEALS AND .................. 82 THE ROLE OF GENDER ........................................................................................................ 82 Method .................................................................................................................................... 83 Participants and Procedure .................................................................................................... 83 Measures ................................................................................................................................ 84 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 85 CHAPTER 7 GENERAL DISCUSSION ................................................................................. 92 Single Men and Monogamy .................................................................................................... 96 Committed Relationship Ideology,