Tez Türü: Doktora
Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Psikoloji Bölümü, Türkiye
Tez Danışmanı: Bengi Öner Özkan
Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2022
Tezin Dili: İngilizce
Özet:
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.