Communication Commons^™

To Promote Or Prevent When Near Or Far: Exploring Regulatory Focus In Geographically-Close And Long-Distance Relationships, Adam James Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

No research to date has examined how regulatory focus theory applies to relationships that are maintained long-distance, nor if individuals’ regulatory orientations differ in predicting relationship maintenance efforts between relationships that are geographically-close and those that are long-distance. The current study explores the communication efforts, ideal perceptions, and regulatory behaviors of individuals as a function of their regulatory focus (promotion focus vs. prevention focus) and relationship type (geographically-close vs. long-distance). One hundred eighty participants completed a survey that assessed their relationship type, regulatory focus, and relationship maintenance efforts (i.e., communications, perceptions, and behavior). Overall, it was found that individuals in …

“To Each Their Own”: Comparing Satisfaction, Money Management, And Financial Communication Across Couple Types, Anne Nicole Zmyslinski-Seelig

Theses and Dissertations

Negative outcomes associated with poor money management and financial communication prompt research that provides fresh theoretical perspectives with the ultimate goal of providing concrete advice to both couples and practitioners. Contributing to scholarship regarding finances in committed relationships, the current study examined connections among relationship satisfaction, financial management, and financial communication. Results demonstrated positive associations between: (a) relationship satisfaction and financial management as well as (b) relationship satisfaction and financial communication.

Further, utilizing Fitzpatrick’s (1988) couple types, the investigation tested whether or not the typology explained differences in individuals’ and dyads’ relationship satisfaction, financial management, and financial communication. Regarding differences …

Towards The Enhancement Of A Critical Cultural Paradigm In Health Communication: An Examination Of The Impact Of Paradigmatic Structures, Laura Elizabeth Arneson

Theses and Dissertations

In the field of Communication there are a wide variety of ways in which scholars can utilize theories to serve as epistemological frameworks in order to examine sociological structures. In this thesis, the subfield of Health Communication will be examined through a positivistic and critical cultural studies paradigm. This work will then examine underlying assumptions related to theoretical approaches in health communication.

With the primary argument of this work being that the dominant approaches in Healthcare Communication have been primarily rooted in positivism, this research study will attempt to show how this assumption continues to extend even into new digital …

Catcalling As A"Double Edged Sword": Midwestern Women, Their Experiences, And The Implications Of Men's Catcalling Behaviors, Colleen O'Leary

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of research surrounding the topic of catcalling, it is essential to give voice to women who have experienced the harm, its effects, and those who perceive it as a societal issue. This study generates discourse regarding Midwestern women's standpoints on catcalling through in-depth respondent interviews about women's experiences and perceptions of catcalling. Thematic analysis of the interviews reveals that catcalling is complex. Women conceptualized catcalling as a primarily negative experience as they associated it with negative emotions and affective states. Women never described catcalling as complimentary, rather, they believed that men perceived their own comments to …