“Do You Go through Tough Times? Of Course. That’s Part of Relationships.” Associations Between Perceptions of Celebrity Couples’ Conflict and Conflict Tactics of Ordinary Couples

Abstract

As individuals are continually exposed to media involving celebrity couples, how do these couples influence romantic relationship processes? The current study explores perceptions of celebrity couple engagement in relationship conflict and how this might predict the conflict tactics used in adult romantic relationships. Specifically, how celebrity couples’ conflict might predict individuals’ engagement in specific conflict tactics was examined. An exploratory survey was implemented and included several measures of relationship conflict, social comparison, conflict tactics, and several other variables. Results indicated associations between perceptions of celebrity couples’ relational conflict and participants’ reported engagement in certain conflict tactics with their current romantic partner. Social comparison moderated the relationship between perceptions of celebrity couples’ relational conflict and participants’ engagement in conflict. Discussion and future directions are further elaborated.