College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

Winter 3-21-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Ralph Erber, PhD

Second Advisor

Verena Graupmann, PhD

Abstract

Almost everyone identifies with some kind of culture and the definition often varies among researchers and disciplines of the field. Culture has an influence on every aspect of one’s everyday life, including the role it plays in close relationships. Although intimate relationships and culture have been widely explored in psychological research, limited studies have explored how these two factors may go hand in hand in creating what may be a newer concept, a mini-culture (smaller, unique cultural groups that develop within larger societies or organizations). The purpose of this study was to explore how this awareness of culture sharing and creation would affect relationship satisfaction. It was hypothesized that positivity resonance would play a mediating role and that a higher frequency of cultural sharing would lead to increased relationship satisfaction. We recruited 154 participants who completed several self-report questionnaires about their current relationship and elements of culture sharing. Positivity resonance and relationship satisfaction were also measured, followed by a visual scale to measure the perspective of the interconnectedness of the relationship. The results showed that positivity resonance and the degree to which students felt interconnected with their partners played a mediating role in this study. Moreover, the regression analysis found that higher shared culture did show a positive relationship with relationship satisfaction. The implications of these findings enhance our understanding of how becoming aware and practicing a shared culture between couples leads to the creation of a mini-culture and thus, increasing relationship satisfaction. This research contributes to the ongoing literature on intimate relationship research and relationship satisfaction and cultivates conversations about the concept of mini-cultures.

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