Students' use of mass media for ideas about romantic relationships was influenced by perceived realism of presentations and parental happiness.
52 undergraduates between 18 and 24 years of age (34 women) answered a questionnaire about their use of mass media for ideas about romantic relationships and indicated how happy their parents' relationship seemed during the students' formative years. If sitcoms, dramas, magazine articles, or books were seen as realistic or presenting an ideal for which to strive in real life, students used ideas about romantic relationships presented more frequently, and they also more frequently explored sitcoms and dramas for ideas, but not magazines or books. If the parental relationship was seen as happy, students were more likely to use TV and magazines but not books for ideas; they evaluated sitcoms as more and books as less realistic.
Westman
Alida S
AS
Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti 48197, USA. alida.westman@emich.edu
Lynch
Teresa J
TJ
Lewandowski
Lisa
L
Hunt-Carter
Erin
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D010290:Parents; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students