Date of Award

12-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Primary Advisor

Christina Gard

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the connection between relational-interdependent self-construal and relationship quality, with the cognitive mindset mediating the demonstration of autonomous efforts to maintain a relationship. For this study, I used a 22-question survey for relationship quality, measured separately for friendships and romantic relationships (using the Friendship Quality Scale and the Romance Quality Scale), and the 11-question Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal Scale for the measurement of self-construal. The surveys were distributed by means of an online survey accessible to the student population at a religiously affiliated private university in the South-Atlantic region of the United States. For both friendships and romantic relationships, scores on the Relational-Interdependent Scale were correlated with relationship quality. The relationship quality means for friendships and romantic relationships were significantly different from each other, as measured by an independent measures t-test. My results showed that no significant correlations were found between the variables of relational-interdependent self-construal and relationship quality. Interestingly, no substantial gender differences were found between the means of either type of relationship quality. Gender differences also were marginal between the means of relational-interdependent self-construal. Although the study did not procure statistical significance, it succeeded in presenting a theoretical comparison between friendships and romantic relationships, and illustrated the complexity of perception of relationship quality for emerging adults.

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