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Virginia Tech

Differentiation as a Predictor of Extramarital Involvement

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine differentiation of self (Bowen, 1985) as a predictor of involvement in specific extramarital behaviors. Data were collected from 125 graduates of a comprehensive state university in southeastern United States. The sample was primarily caucasian, college educated, married, politically moderate to slightly conservative, equally divided by gender and ranged in age from 25 to 87 years (M = age 43). Differentiation of self was operationalized and measured by the Differentiation of Self Inventory (Skowron & Friedlander, 1998). Logistical regression analyses regressed involvement in specific extramarital behaviors upon the level of differentiation of self as measured by the Differentiation of Self Inventory. The level of differentiation did not significantly predict the likelihood of involvement in any specific extramarital behavior. Among females, however, differentiation was positively but not significantly associated with the likelihood of involvement in most of the specific extramarital behaviors examined by the study. For females, differentiation did significantly predict the likelihood of having an experience kissing some one other than a spouse while married.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Marriage and Family Therapy
Department dc:contributor.department
Marriage and Family Therapy
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2000

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Habben, Christopher M.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Sporakowski, Michael J.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Prouty, Anne M.
  • Protinsky, Howard O. Jr.
  • Peterson, Rick L.
  • Johnson, Scott W.

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-06062000-00490029
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/27956

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Habben, Christopher M.. Differentiation as a Predictor of Extramarital Involvement. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27956