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Tell Me Sweet (And Not-So-Sweet) Little Lies: Deception in Romantic Relationships

Tell Me Sweet (And Not-So-Sweet) Little Lies: Deception in Romantic Relationships Deception undoubtedly plays a complex role in romantic relationships. While honesty and openness are desirable traits among romantic partners, partners may nonetheless use deception in order to meet personal or relational goals. This study provides a richer understanding of the extent to which deception is used in romantic relationships and the common motives for deceiving partners. The diary-based, qualitative responses of 67 participants were examined for instances of, and reasons for, deception. Results revealed the nuanced and sometimes contradictory nature of deception in romantic relationships as participants reported that they use deception as a means to maintain the relationship, to manage face needs, to negotiate dialectical tensions, and to establish relational control, and also that they perceive deception to function in both positive and negative ways. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Communication Studies Taylor & Francis

Tell Me Sweet (And Not-So-Sweet) Little Lies: Deception in Romantic Relationships

Communication Studies , Volume 64 (2): 17 – Apr 1, 2013
17 pages

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References (49)

Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Central States Communication Association
ISSN
1745-1035
eISSN
1051-0974
DOI
10.1080/10510974.2012.755637
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Deception undoubtedly plays a complex role in romantic relationships. While honesty and openness are desirable traits among romantic partners, partners may nonetheless use deception in order to meet personal or relational goals. This study provides a richer understanding of the extent to which deception is used in romantic relationships and the common motives for deceiving partners. The diary-based, qualitative responses of 67 participants were examined for instances of, and reasons for, deception. Results revealed the nuanced and sometimes contradictory nature of deception in romantic relationships as participants reported that they use deception as a means to maintain the relationship, to manage face needs, to negotiate dialectical tensions, and to establish relational control, and also that they perceive deception to function in both positive and negative ways.

Journal

Communication StudiesTaylor & Francis

Published: Apr 1, 2013

Keywords: Deception; Dialectical Tensions; Facework; Relational Maintenance; Romantic Relationships

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