Social network influence on romantic relationship commitment: do friends and family dictate our love lives?

Date
2010
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University of Delaware
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the unique influences that different social network members have on individuals’ perceived social influence and ultimately their romantic relationship commitment. The research additionally sought to determine other predictors of the social network influence process including one’s disclosure to network members and one’s adult attachment style. Two hundred and eight undergraduate students in romantic relationships (n = 208) completed questionnaires measuring their frequency of disclosure, subjective norms, attachment style, and romantic commitment. Results indicated that participants were more motivated to comply with their parents than their friends and thus their subjective norms for their parents were more influential than those for their friend network members. The results also suggested that one’s attachment style, specifically avoidance, was a significant predictor of both disclosure and subjective norms. The model in the current study contributes to social network influence research by offering an examination of friends and parents as separate network members with distinct effects on individuals’ perceived social influence. Additionally, the model illustrates the effect of several predictors on both the social influence process and romantic commitment.
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