Conflict and Control: Examining the Association Between Exposure to Television Portraying Interpersonal Conflict and the Use of Controlling Behaviors in Romantic Relationships

Abstract

Based on content analyses examining the type and amount of relational conflicts featured in popular television (Brinson, 1992; Brinson & Winn, 1997; Comstock & Strzyzewski, 1990; Fine, 1981; Greenberg, Buerkel-Rothfuss, Neuendorf, & Atkin, 1980; Sherry & De Souza, 2005), the present study investigated the link between exposure to television that is high in interpersonal conflict and viewers' use of relational control in their romantic relationships. The results demonstrate a small but statistically significant relationship between exposure to interpersonal-conflict television and relational control, even after controlling for demographic, relationship, and personality variables. Further, the results demonstrate that the main relationship was moderated by viewers' perceived realism of television. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• Cultivation Analysis
• Relational Control
• Television

Notes

Note. N = 562. Coefficients are standardized Betas (ß).

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note. N = 562. Coefficients are standardized Betas (ß).

⁺ p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01.

Sex was coded as 0 = men and 1 = women. Relational satisfaction was assessed with the following question (only for those reporting being involved in a romantic relationship), “How would you describe the degree of happiness in your relationship?” Responses were coded on a 6-point scale (1 = extremely unhappy; 6 = extremely happy). Trait aggression was measured with the Trait Aggressiveness Scale (Buss & Perry, 1992; sample α = .83), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975) measured neuroticism (sample α = .70).

Given that previous research suggests that women will be less likely to favor interpersonal conflict in romantic relationships because it does not easily fit with cultural expectations of femininity (Brinson, 1992; Brinson & Winn, 1997), we also tested for sex differences in the results. Specifically, we also ran regression models entering the interaction between sex and the television exposure variables. None of the interactions were statistically significant, so we do not report them here.

These main effects on relational control support previous work in the relational communication literature. For further discussion, see Daly (2002), Olson, Baoicchi-Wagner, Kratzer, and Symonds (2012), and Rogers, Castleton, and Lloyd (1996).