ROMANTIC BREAK-UPS IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD: THE CONNOTATIONS, PREDICTORS, AND COMMON REASONS

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2022-8-29

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Terzi, Hilal

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This doctoral thesis aims to understand romantic break-ups in young adulthood by seeking answers to three research questions: What is romantic break-up? (RQ1), what are the factors affecting responses to dissatisfying situations? (RQ2), and what are the reasons for break-ups? (RQ3). Two studies, one quantitative study and one qualitative study (18 focus group sessions), were conducted to find answers to these three research questions. Qualitative data were collected from 131 participants. Participants were asked to define what comes to mind when they hear the word “break-up”. Participants expressed mostly negative connotations, with a few exceptions. The connotations were categorized under five dimensions: beliefs about break-ups, emotions, (re)adjustment of self and time, grief, and expectations for the future. A total of 329 university students participated in the quantitative study. The results revealed that attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, dissatisfied basic psychological needs, and relationship-contingent self-esteem were positively related to exit behaviors, and thwarted basic psychological needs was negatively associated with exit behaviors. In 18-focus group sessions, participants were asked to list common reasons for break-ups and they would end their romantic relationships based on the reasons they wrote down. The break-up reasons revealed 21 categories. Among these, breach of trust, incompatibility, emotional distance, and lack of validation were the most common reasons. The findings showed that when it comes to ending their romantic relationship, some reasons were not sufficient enough to end their romantic relationships. The findings of qualitative and quantitative studies were discussed with the current literature.

Subject Keywords

romantic break-ups, attachment orientation, basic psychological needs, relationship contingent self-esteem, young adulthood

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/98614

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

H. Terzi, “ROMANTIC BREAK-UPS IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD: THE CONNOTATIONS, PREDICTORS, AND COMMON REASONS,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2022.