Worth a Look: Motivations and Consequences of Financial Snooping in Romantic Relationships

Financial snooping is the covert behaviour of seeking out a person’s financial information. Romantic partners may snoop into finances to stay informed about their joint financial situation. This thesis examines the construct of financial snooping across two studies with individuals in romantic relationships. In a pilot study (N=197), I established a financial snooping attitudes scale and found that financial snooping attitudes were more positive the more participants worried about their finances. In the main study (N=341), I found that scores on the financial snooping attitudes scale predicted snooping acts reported over one month. Financial worry was again associated with more positive snooping attitudes, and worse financial communication was also associated with more positive snooping attitudes and more snooping acts. Snooping into the partner’s finances increased financial worry and decreased relationship satisfaction over the month. Given the negative consequences of snooping, finding ways to reduce financial snooping may promote happier relationships.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

Carleton University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Joseph, Morgan Anne

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © 2024 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.22215/etd/2024-16030

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/43317