MEDIA EFFECTS ON DIVORCE ATTITUDES: Breaking the Taboo

The taboo associated with divorce has decreased among young adults. What was once a silent issue has become a more casual topic of discussion, with some discourse transcending onto social media sites. Research has shown that media and the act of divorce have a positive measurable relationship. However, understanding the role of the media in the shaping of divorce perceptions and the weakening of taboos, should be a precursor to expanding the literature in this area. Using cultivation theory as a framework, this thesis found that while media's glamorization of divorce through television programs and celebrity news had an effect on divorce perceptions, overall television consumption yields a more significant correlation. It was supportively hypothesized that a high intake of television correlates to a more positive attitude of divorce.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Eype, Mansuereh Yvonne

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Northup, Temple

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Jowett, Garth S.
• Nealy, Robin

• Divorce
• Mass communication
• Media Effects
• Media
• Cultivation theory

Statement dc:rights

• The author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10657/1492

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/1492