Date of Award
8-1-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Organizational Unit
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
First Advisor
Howard Markman, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Scott Stanley
Third Advisor
Omar Gudino
Fourth Advisor
Sarah Watamura
Fifth Advisor
Arthur Jones
Keywords
African Americans, Racial ideology, Romantic relationships
Abstract
The current study aimed to explore how considering unique cultural factors and experiences may advance the fields knowledge on relationship dynamics among African American couples. In a sample of 172 self-identified African American adults who were in opposite sex relationships, the current study explored how individual’s own and perception of partner’s racial ideology are associated with romantic processes, if, when, and how African American couples talk about race within their relationship, and the association between “dyadic racial ideology” and relationship processes. Results indicated one’s own racial ideology, conceptualized by individual subscales and cluster profiles, and discrepancy between one’s own and perception of partner’s ideological scores played an important role in understanding relationship outcomes. Findings also suggest that one’s own and perception of partner’s Afrocentricity are associated with higher quality romantic relationships. Results revealed some unexpected associations between frequency talking about race, ratings of supportive communication for race specific conversations, and dyadic racial identity with psychological aggression. In sum, the findings from the current study contribute to the field’s understanding of African American relationships broadly as well as inform clinical interventions developed specifically for this population.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Aleja M. Parsons
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
129 p.
Recommended Citation
Parsons, Aleja M., "An Examination of the Impact of Racial Ideology and Conversations About Race on Relationship Processes Among African American Couples" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1510.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1510
Copyright date
2019
Discipline
Clinical psychology