Date of Award

1-1-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

First Advisor

Mary Claire Morr Serewicz, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Frederique Chevillot, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Elizabeth Suter

Fourth Advisor

Erin Willer

Keywords

Broken engagement, Dialectics, Dissolution, Premarital divorce

Abstract

Communication behaviors and precipitating events were studied in accounts provided by 109 heterosexual individuals living in the United States who had experienced at least one broken premarital engagement. Participants' responses to an exploratory survey designed by the researcher were thematically analyzed in order to determine the causes of broken engagements, communication strategies used in sharing the disengagement narrative, advice given and received, and the presence of relational dialectics (both tensions and coping strategies). Data revealed that broken engagements more closely mirror divorce than dating breakups, engagements are more likely to be broken by women than men, and disengagement more often occurs prior to 30 years of age. Additionally, three new dialectical tension pairs were discovered: Hope/Resignation, Familiarity/Instability, and Love/Loyalty. Implications for future research are also discussed.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Chelsea Annette Hand Stow

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

216 p.

Discipline

Communication, Individual & Family Studies, Social Research

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