Considerable scholarly attention has been dedicated toward the role of peers in adolescents' romantic lives (Brown, 1999; Collins, 2003; Connolly & McIsaac, 2009, Korobov & Thorne, 2006). However, when it comes to the developmental significance of adults in promoting the healthy romantic functioning of adolescents, there has been…

There is significant research literature on romantic relationships, positive psychology, and college students, but surprisingly little literature on two or more of those subject areas combined. Overall, the literature suggests that romantic relationships are an important developmental milestone for young adults, and that working with couples is an…

In this three-paper dissertation, I examine three seemingly unconnected historical philosophers--Locke, Cockburn, and Kant--on questions concerning moral knowledge, human nature, and moral development. In the first chapter, my focus is on Locke's peculiar claim that a demonstrative science of morality is possible, and I address an interpretive…

This correlational study examined the predictive roles of decisional and emotional forgiveness on levels of relationship satisfaction among college students in committed, monogamous romantic relationships for at least 6 months. From an initial pool of 120 Biola University undergraduate students, data from a final sample of 90 participants were…

The present dissertation project investigated relationship enhancement following a brief self-disclosure task (i.e., the Fast Friends Procedure; FFP) via self-report and observational data. Thirty-three undergraduate couples dating for less than six months asked and answered questions that required increasingly higher levels of self-disclosure for…

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of emotional intelligence factors on the relationship quality among African American male college students. Specifically, this study was concerned with the predictable relationship between the emotional intelligence factors of emotion regulation, self-regulation, emotion management, and…

In 1997, a sex tape of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee was released by a hired contractor who stole it from their home then released the tape for money (Siegel et al., 2022). In 2014, over 600 cloud accounts were hacked containing nude photos of celebrities, whose images were later posted online and to several revenge porn websites (Johnson, 2015).…

The dominant literature surrounding first-generation college students (FGCS) suggests that because neither of their parents obtained a four-year college degree, these students begin college at a deficit, ignoring the many familial resources students bring with them to college. FGCS succeed because of their families, not despite them (Gofen, 2009)…

Romantic relationships are important as they influence physical health, general happiness, and overall well-being. However, they are not immune to disagreements. Conflicts can be a common occurrence in relationships, and poor conflict management can have negative consequences for relationship satisfaction, mental health, and relationship…

This study considered the experiences of youth-focused relationship educators as they transitioned to online education due to the coronavirus pandemic. The aim was to understand the process and impact of these experiences on educators' determination of success when transitioning online. Youth relationship education (YRE) programs are generally…

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a severe global public health problem that affects both men and women all over the world, and college students are not exempt. (Thongpriwan et al., 2015). Although attitude is a major factor contributing to the prevalence of IPV (CDC, 2021a; Sanchez-Prada, 2020), there is a dearth of knowledge about HBCU…

Consensual Non-Monogamy (CNM) is an umbrella term for relationships in which all partners explicitly consent to engage in romantic, intimate, or sexual relationships with multiple people. In a recent study on polyamory, one form of CNM, data from a nationally representative sample of 3,438 single adults in the U.S. from a range of backgrounds…

For couples, the intimate relationship between partners is one of the most influential in adult life. Couples and relationship education (CRE) intends to provide contextual knowledge and to facilitate the growth of relationship skill sets. However, current CRE programming is largely heteronormative, relying primarily on male/female relationship…

The problem this study addressed involves how college students since the year 2020 in the U.S. have been negotiating romance, dating, and sexual relationships in the unique historical period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study addressed the problem of needing to determine how the pandemic may have disrupted college students' intimate…

This post-qualitative study explores work-life balance as a sustaining fantasy produced by neoliberal, patriarchal, productivity-driven systems and how this fantasy manifests affectively for mothers who work in community colleges. The study began by contextualizing the work-life balance fantasy within higher education as a gendered workscape.…