University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository Electronic Theses and Dissertations 8-2015 Parental influence on romantic attraction with simulated online dating profiles. Johanna Strokoff Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Commons Recommended Citation Strokoff, Johanna, "Parental influence on romantic attraction with simulated online dating profiles. Electronic Theses and Dissertations.18297/etd/2232 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository.
This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact thinkir@louisville. PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON ROMANTIC ATTACTION WITH SIMULATED ONLINE DATING PROFILES By Johanna Strokoff B., Towson University, 2010 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Education and Human Development of the University of Louisville in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling and Personnel Services Department of Counseling Psychology University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky August, 2015 PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON ROMANTIC ATTRACTION WITH SIMULATED ONLINE DATING PROFILES By Johanna Strokoff B., Towson University, 2010 A Dissertation Approved on July 17, 2015 by the following Dissertation Committee Members __________________________________________ (Co-Chair) Dr. Jesse Owen ___________________________________________ (Co-Chair) Dr.
Jeffrey Valentine ___________________________________________ (Member) Dr. Stephanie Budge ___________________________________________ (Member) Dr. Brad Shuck ii DEDICATION My dissertation is dedicated to family and friends who provided unconditional support and encouragement throughout my academic career and to faculty and peers who I was fortunate enough to learn from during my journey. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would wholeheartedly like to thank my doctoral advisor and mentor, Dr.
Jesse Owen, for his continual support and wisdom throughout the dissertation process. Owen’s devotion to my doctoral training has instilled confidence in my research skills and taught me how to have a voice in my research and clinical work. I would also like to thank my committee members for their valuable perspectives and suggestions that have greatly improved my dissertation. Finally, I would like to thank Geneva Polser for her contribution helping with the intensive task of tailoring the simulated online dating profiles used for my dissertation methodology.
iv ABSTRACT PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON ROMANTIC ATTRACTION WITH SIMULATED ONLINE DATING PROFILES Johanna Strokoff July 17, 2015 Romantic attraction is commonly studied in the scientific literature, with countless theories providing hypotheses for why we find particular characteristics attractive. This study focused on psychodynamic theories to investigate the attraction process, particularly regarding the influence of parental figures on romantic attraction through the psychoanalytic theory of partner selection (i., template matching hypothesis used interchangeably), attachment theory, and Core Conflictual Relational Themes theory. With previous research often relying solely on self-report measures of parental figures and romantic partners, this study contributed to the field through capturing the attraction phenomenon through the ratings and selection of simulated online dating profiles. Participants (n = 88) completed two survey administrations, first providing self- report data of parental figures (e., parental personality traits, attachment styles) and personal characteristics (e., relationship status, depression symptomology, family environment).
Information from the first survey was used to create two idiosyncratic dating profiles, one profile imitating personality and relational characteristics similar to v one’s opposite-gender parent (titled the Alike profile) and one profile depicting dissimilar qualities of one’s opposite-gender parent (titled the Unalike profile). Two additional standard profiles representing a neutral and unbecoming option were also presented (titled the Neutral and Jerk profile respectively). Participants were asked a series of questions assessing the attractiveness of each profile option and then asked to rank the four profiles based on attractiveness. Results indicated that the Neutral profile was the most favorable among our sample, with the Alike profile being deemed the second most attractive option.
Participants who reported experiencing betrayal trauma before age 18 were significantly less likely to select the Alike profile as the most attractive. In addition, participant reports of unfinished business (i., lingering feelings of disappointment or resentment) was the most salient predictor variable for Alike profile attraction ratings, suggesting that as unfinished business towards parental figures increased, attraction ratings for the Alike profile decreased. Perceived similarity to one’s parental figure also influenced attraction ratings for the Alike profile, potentially indicating that participants may have identified personal similarities with characteristics described in the profile. Limitations and implications are provided to highlight areas of future research.
vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION………………………………….79 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Attraction and love have been popular subjects of study in the scientific literature. This popularity is mirrored in the market with self-help books, dating blogs, and magazines echoing our culture’s fascination with understanding the rules of attraction. During a recent search on Amazon.com (June 28, 2015), 3,139 self-help books were provided for the search terms “love and attraction” (e., The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction; Ford, 2011; Secrets of Attraction: The Universal Laws of Love, Sex, and Romance; Taylor, 2001). To begin answering the age- old question of what creates a romantic connection, there is overwhelming evidence suggesting that physical traits appear to influence our immediate attraction (Feingold, 1990; Luo & Zhang, 2009; Todd, Penke, Fasolo, & Lenton, 2007).
However, aside from one’s instant physical attraction, other factors such as personality characteristics and situational factors play a vital role in our initial attraction (Klohnen & Luo, 2003). Indeed, personality characteristics (e., intelligence, warmth) are possibly more important than physical appearance with long-term partnerships, potentially due to the desire for sustained emotional support and compatibility (Regan, Levin, Sprecher, Christopher, & Cate, 2000). Accordingly, this study will focus on how individuals come to desire certain personality factors. In particular, theory and common anecdotal 1 perspectives often contend that individuals tend to gravitate towards personality characteristics displayed by one’s parents.
An early contributor to the idea that children often choose romantic partners similar to their parents was Sigmund Freud (1927), who described childhood developmental stages involving a key developmental marker in which children develop an attraction to the opposite-gender parent, while feuding with the same-gender partner to protect the relationship (i. It was thought that this forbidden sexual attraction translated into seeking qualities in a partner that mirror qualities of one’s opposite-gender parent (Epstein & Guttman, 1984). This concept is commonly referred to as the psychoanalytic theory of partner selection. Commins (1932) asserted that a young boy’s first “sweetheart” is his mother, and when he decides to choose a romantic partner, his memory of her will create a desire to find someone just like her.
Since then, more contemporary theories have inspired numerous studies geared to investigate this link, with research yielding mixed results. We will first review theories exploring the potential relationship between characteristics of our parents and our dating lives, along with supportive research and gaps in the literature. Theory Illustrating Influence of Parents The impact of parents on romantic partner choice has been investigated through multiple overlapping theoretical models, with psychoanalytic theory of partner selection (i., tendency to be attracted to traits found in opposite-gender parental figures; Freud, 1927) paving the way for subsequent theories such as the template matching hypothesis (i., parents serving as a template for future romantic relationships; Daly & Watson, 1990), imago theory (i., individuals seeking partners who match their unconscious 2 representation of a primary caregiver to correct unfinished business; Hendrix, 1996), and sexual imprinting (i., children internalizing parental phenotypes during a sensitive period during their development to serve as a model for partner selection and genetic compatibility; Bereckei, Gyuris, & Weisfeld, 2004; Todd & Miller, 2003)., evolutionary theory) could provide alternative hypotheses for why parental figures may impact our romantic attraction. However, for the purposes of this research, we will conceptualize this phenomenon through a psychodynamic lens, thereby focusing on the psychoanalytic theory of partner selection (i., template matching hypothesis used interchangeably), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969), and core relational themes (Luborsky, 1985).
Psychoanalytic theory of partner selection. The psychoanalytic theory of partner selection (Freud, 1927) postulates that individuals are romantically attracted to those who resemble their opposite-gender parents among multiple characteristics in order to transfer the attraction of one’s parent to similar individuals (Epstein & Guttman, 1984; Jedlicka, 1980). Providing an alternative interpretation of Freud’s work, the template matching hypothesis (Daly & Wilson, 1990) states that relationships with opposite- gender parents serve as a template for future romantic partner selection (Geher, 2000). Early studies arose shortly following the Freudian theory, often discrediting the theory with discrepant findings regarding which parent is most influential (i., the theory strongly predicts that the opposite-gender parent will be the most influential) and null findings with parental influences on partner selection all together (e., Aron et al., 1974; Mangus, 1936; Strauss, 1946; Winch, 1950).
However, more contemporary studies have supported the template matching hypothesis with opposite-gender parents with both 3 physical characteristics (e., Jedlicka 1980, 1984; Little et al., 2003) and personality characteristics (e., Geher, 2000; Buss 1994, Wilson & Barret, 1987). With regards to physical traits, Jedlicka (1980, 1984) found that individuals who had parents from two different ethnic backgrounds were more likely to marry partners who matched their opposite-gender parent’s ethnicity. Examining these domains closer, a recent study found that women were more likely to rate photographs as attractive if they had similar facial dimensions as their fathers, particularly if they rated their relationship with their fathers highly (Wiszewska, Pawlowski & Boothroyd, 2007). Similarly, Little, Penton-Voak, Burt, and Perrett (2003) found one’s partner’s hair and eye color to be positively related with parental hair and eye color, with a stronger relationship with the opposite-gender parent.
To investigate the parental influence of age on attraction tendencies, Perrett et al. (2002) asked participants to rate the attractiveness of computerized images varying with ages 18-60 years old within a short-term and long- term relationship context. Findings indicated that women born to parents over the age of 30 were more attracted to computerized images of older men for both short-term and long-term relationships, as compared to women born to parents under the age of 30. Men in the study born to older parents, particularly older mothers, were not as influenced by youth cues when rating visual attractiveness for long-term relationships (i., no relationship existed between parental age and attractiveness ratings for short-term relationships).
A recent study replicated these findings with individuals being more likely to deem older faces as attractive if born to older parents, as compared to individuals born to younger parents (Heffernan & Fraley, 2013). While these two studies focused on age and physical cues, an alternative interpretation could include personality characteristics 4 (i., being attracted to the maturity exemplified in older photos or youthful personality traits associated with younger individuals). Further, some research supports that matching phenotypes between romantic partners and parents may be an adaptive tendency to ensure genetic compatibility with partners (Daly & Wilson, 1980; Todd & Miller, 2003; Tregenza & Wedell, 2000). Nevertheless, these studies provide some support for the opposite-gender hypothesis proposed by psychoanalytic theory.
Pertaining to personality characteristics, several studies have found similarities among romantic partners and parental traits. For instance, Wilson and Barrett (1987) found that the amount of dominance displayed by participants’ opposite-gender parents was associated with the amount of dominance displayed by significant others. In a recent study, Geher (2000) had participants describe their romantic partner, same-gender parent, and opposite-gender parent’s personality traits, along with having partners and parents describe themselves. Results indicated that while participants perceived their partners to match their opposite-gender parents on all eight personality characteristics, parent and partner self-reports overlapped among four variables (openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and closeness), suggesting that participants consciously or unconsciously exaggerated the presence of commonalities between their parents and partners.
In particular, individuals who were satisfied in their romantic relationship perceived greater similarities between their partner and opposite-gender parent than those less satisfied with their relationship.