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Online dating and conjugal bereavement
Goldthwaite Dannagal Young1, Scott E Caplan2
1Department of Communication, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA. dgyoung@udel.edu
Death Studies
|February 1, 2014
Summary
Widowed individuals often share relationship backstories and engage in sense-making on dating profiles, unlike divorced individuals. Online dating helps widowed users explore loss and construct post-loss identities.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Online dating platforms are increasingly utilized by diverse demographics, including those who have experienced relationship dissolution.
- Understanding self-presentation strategies in online dating is crucial for comprehending user behavior and relationship formation.
- Widowed and divorced individuals navigate unique challenges in re-entering the dating sphere.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the self-presentation strategies of widowed and divorced individuals on online dating profiles.
- To investigate the themes and depth of discussion related to past relationships and future aspirations.
- To explore the role of sense-making and identity construction in the online dating profiles of widowed individuals.
Main Methods:
- Content analysis of user-generated profiles from 241 widowed and 280 divorced individuals (ages 18-40).
- Assessment of themes including marital status, relationship backstory, sense-making, and future partnership vision.
- Quantitative analysis of theme presence and qualitative interpretation of language used.
Main Results:
- Approximately one-third of widowed profiles discussed loss, referenced a philosophy of life, or included sense-making (cognitive reappraisals).
- A significant correlation was found between widowed users including a backstory and exhibiting sense-making.
- Divorced individuals' profiles featured briefer mentions of past relationships, less sense-making language, and fewer explicit future partnership visions compared to widowed individuals.
Conclusions:
- Online dating profiles serve as a space for widowed individuals to process past experiences and construct a post-loss identity.
- Self-presentation differs significantly between widowed and divorced individuals, suggesting distinct coping and identity negotiation processes.
- The findings highlight the complex interplay between loss, identity, and online self-disclosure in the context of remarriage.
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