Research Division
'24-'25 Student Projects
not you, boo:
Examining the differential effects of ghosting and being ghosted on the self-concept
bad blood:
The role in uncertainty in predicting distress in platonic versus romantic relationship dissolution
The RSC assistant researchers are spearheading their own projects this academic year. Massiel and Turner will focus on how ghosting someone, or being hosted, impacts our sense of self with the aim of better understanding how this dissolution strategy impacts well-being. Peyton and Claire will be exploring friendship breakups. This new area of investigation is popular in media, but has received little attention in relationship science. Is it just as painful to lose a friendship as it is to lose a romantic relationship? If so, why?
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Check back as the year progresses for updates on these student projects!
Project LoveStory
Researchers have identified important variables that help predict whether a relationship will progress to the next stage, or come to an end. Most people want their relationships to move forward, especially if their partner makes them happy. But others will commit to unhappy relationships and find themselves in painful situations. Why?
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Project LoveStory is dedicated to answering this question. By investigating the personal motives underlying commitment to bad relationships, this project uncovers the good reasons people have for ending up in bad situations; from psychological distress and dyadic conflict to interpersonal manipulation and abuse.
Recent Outputs:
Project Ex
Although we may not want them to, relationships often end. Their termination can lead to a variety of outcomes for the affected individuals, ranging from moderate distress to severe psychological turmoil, and even suicidal ideation. These negative thoughts and emotion have been attributed at least in part to the loss of one's own sense of self upon breakup, which occurs when romantic partners can no longer be included in individuals understanding of who they are. This loss of self can lead people to engage in myriad behaviors. Some will choose to grow from the experience, while others may find themselves in more harmful scenarios like on-again off-again cycles.
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Project Ex examines how people recover their lost sense of self after breakup. The overall aim?: Understanding how self-protection affects post-relational decisions, and how we can encourage people to choose options that promote recovery instead of prolonged distress.
Recent Outputs:
Project LoveSick
The psychological effects of losing a romantic relationship are well documented. However, less attention has been given to the physiological ramifications of significant social loss and its associated stress. Project LoveSick is a new line of research examining the intersection of health and romantic relationship breakup to determine how individuals physically experience and recover from losing a close other using.