Ward, Natalie (2020) The Relationship between Flirting Styles and the Cycle of Relationship Sabotage within Intimate Relationships. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Finding a romantic partner to share life with can be hard. Many individuals are met with disappointment as they navigate the initial stages of a relationship with the expectation of having found their ‘life partner’, only to see their romantic engagements end repeatedly. It is possible that this cycle of repeated failures is a product of individuals own attitudes and behaviours, borne from personal attachment experiences. More specifically, how individuals communicate romantic interest, their motivations and choice of romantic partner might be impacting on the success of their relationship long-term. The aim of this project was to investigate how flirting styles (i.e., traditional, physical, sincere, playful, and polite) correlate with the three constructs of relationship sabotage (i.e., defensiveness, trust and relationship skills) and how relationship sabotage is influenced by these. Bivariate correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions were run and found that the traditional style is the most problematic and is linked to negative relationship outcomes, while sincere flirts demonstrated positive relationship attitude and behaviours the most. Research into flirting styles, communication skills and coupling motivations can help individuals understand their own attitudes and behaviours towards relationship maintenance and potential success. Also, this study is part of a larger project looking at how demographics (e.g., age, gender, and sexual orientation), relationship factors (e.g., relationship status, duration, perceived quality and stress), and different types of self-saboteurs can influence relationships. This line of research has far-reaching implications from dating organisations to couple counselling, with potential to improve individuals’ relationships and overall wellbeing.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Raquel Peel |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2025 05:37 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Sep 2025 05:37 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Flirting styles; relationship sabotage; attachment theory; |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52854 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
