Conflict and Control: Examining the Association Between Exposure to Television Portraying Interpersonal Conflict and the Use of Controlling Behaviors in Romantic Relationships

Based on content analyses examining the type and amount of relational conflicts featured in popular television (Brinson, 1992; Brinson & Winn, 1997; Comstock & Strzyzewski, 1990; Fine, 1981; Greenberg, Buerkel-Rothfuss, Neuendorf, & Atkin, 1980; Sherry & De Souza, 2005), the present study investigated the link between exposure to television that is high in interpersonal conflict and viewers' use of relational control in their romantic relationships. The results demonstrate a small but statistically significant relationship between exposure to interpersonal-conflict television and relational control, even after controlling for demographic, relationship, and personality variables. Further, the results demonstrate that the main relationship was moderated by viewers' perceived realism of television. Theoretical implications are discussed.