In the wake of infidelity, romantic partners must decide how to move beyond the act of betrayal. Although infidelity can be concealed, sometimes others learn of the infidelity, which may impel a cheater to take steps to repair his or her image. This study examined the use of image repair on social media (Facebook), specifically the tactic of admitting responsibility, in the wake of infidelity. After reading a vignette describing infidelity by the male partner in a heterosexual relationship and viewing a social media post from the cheater, participants answered a series of questions about the couple’s perceived relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that there was no significant difference among the three social media posts (admittance of responsibility, no admittance of responsibility, and a control post) on perceived relationship satisfaction. Overall, perceptions of the couple following infidelity indicated low perceived relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that efforts to repair one’s image through social media following infidelity may not have the desired effect.
Keywords: Infidelity, Social Media, Image Repair Theory
","abstract_html":"<p>In the wake of infidelity, romantic partners must decide how to move beyond the act of betrayal. Although infidelity can be concealed, sometimes others learn of the infidelity, which may impel a cheater to take steps to repair his or her image. This study examined the use of image repair on social media (Facebook), specifically the tactic of admitting responsibility, in the wake of infidelity. After reading a vignette describing infidelity by the male partner in a heterosexual relationship and viewing a social media post from the cheater, participants answered a series of questions about the couple’s perceived relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that there was no significant difference among the three social media posts (admittance of responsibility, no admittance of responsibility, and a control post) on perceived relationship satisfaction. Overall, perceptions of the couple following infidelity indicated low perceived relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that efforts to repair one’s image through social media following infidelity may not have the desired effect. </p> <p> <em>Keywords:</em> Infidelity, Social Media, Image Repair Theory</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Shields, Sydney M"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts - Psychology","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kyle E. Conlon, Ph.D.","Lauren E. Brewer, Ph.D.","Sylvia Middlebrook, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-04-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-04-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:22Z","subjects":["Infidelity","Social Media","Image Repair Theory","Social Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/281","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kyle E. Conlon, Ph.D.","Lauren E. Brewer, Ph.D.","Sylvia Middlebrook, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Shields, Sydney M"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-05-03T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts - Psychology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Infidelity","Social Media","Image Repair Theory","Social Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/281"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In the wake of infidelity, romantic partners must decide how to move beyond the act of betrayal. Although infidelity can be concealed, sometimes others learn of the infidelity, which may impel a cheater to take steps to repair his or her image. This study examined the use of image repair on social media (Facebook), specifically the tactic of admitting responsibility, in the wake of infidelity. After reading a vignette describing infidelity by the male partner in a heterosexual relationship and viewing a social media post from the cheater, participants answered a series of questions about the couple’s perceived relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that there was no significant difference among the three social media posts (admittance of responsibility, no admittance of responsibility, and a control post) on perceived relationship satisfaction. Overall, perceptions of the couple following infidelity indicated low perceived relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that efforts to repair one’s image through social media following infidelity may not have the desired effect.
Keywords: Infidelity, Social Media, Image Repair Theory
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effect of Image Repair on Perceived Relationship Satisfaction after Infidelity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Kyle E. Conlon, Ph.D.","Lauren E. Brewer, Ph.D.","Sylvia Middlebrook, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Shields, Sydney M"],"dc:date.available":["2019-05-03T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In the wake of infidelity, romantic partners must decide how to move beyond the act of betrayal. Although infidelity can be concealed, sometimes others learn of the infidelity, which may impel a cheater to take steps to repair his or her image. This study examined the use of image repair on social media (Facebook), specifically the tactic of admitting responsibility, in the wake of infidelity. After reading a vignette describing infidelity by the male partner in a heterosexual relationship and viewing a social media post from the cheater, participants answered a series of questions about the couple’s perceived relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that there was no significant difference among the three social media posts (admittance of responsibility, no admittance of responsibility, and a control post) on perceived relationship satisfaction. Overall, perceptions of the couple following infidelity indicated low perceived relationship satisfaction. The findings suggest that efforts to repair one’s image through social media following infidelity may not have the desired effect.
Keywords: Infidelity, Social Media, Image Repair Theory
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/281"],"dc:subject":["Infidelity","Social Media","Image Repair Theory","Social Psychology"],"dc:title":["The Effect of Image Repair on Perceived Relationship Satisfaction after Infidelity"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts - Psychology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:22Z"}