eventually break up the relationship and friendship between both parties. These negative emotions can also arise because of increased relational uncertainty, which was defined by Knobloch and Solomon (1999) as the degree of confidence people will have in the level of commitment they see within a relationship. The research was guided by a general curiosity in the FWBR phenomena that has gained prominence with college students. Very limited amounts of research exist on this topic, especially when it involves uncertainty, which plays a role in all types of relationship. The topic is also considered taboo and is not openly discussed by participants because it is motivated by sexual desires. Acknowledging engagement in this relationship has the potential to negatively affect an individual’s reputation. It is important to gain more information on FWBRs because of the relationship’s growing popularity in both media (through films like Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached) and social situations on college campuses. For these reasons, the study was designed to examine the relationship between uncertainty, liking, and loving in a FWBR as well as a way to gather information and opinions about this unique, emerging relationship. A brief review of literature delving deeper on the subject of uncertainty and liking/love is presented next. Defining Relational Uncertainty Relational uncertainty is defined as “the degrees of confidence people have in the level of involvement they observe within a relationship” (Knobloch & Solomon, 1999). It is initiated by three interrelated sources within a relationship: the self, the partner, and the relationship itself (Berger & Bradac, 1982). Self-uncertainty involves one’s doubts about their own involvement in the relationship; partner uncertainty incorporates one’s questions about their partner’s involvement in the relationship; and relationship uncertainty involves one’s doubts about the relationship as a whole, aside from self and partner concerns (Knobloch & Solomon, 2002). Self
FWBR engage in sexual activity with one another, as well as “friendship activities” such as going out with a large group of friends (Weaver, et al., 2011). The challenge of this type of relationships lies in the occurrence of sexual activity while being able to separate the interaction from emotion. Research conducted by Afifi and Faulkner (2000) showed that 51% of college students that participated in their study reported having sexual intercourse with a friend that they did not intend to date at the time, with 34% of those students also reporting that it occurred with the same friend on multiple occasions. Though individual attitudes towards sex in a male-female friendship differ largely, there is a general consensus about the expected impact of such relations (Afifi & Faulkner, 2000). There are many benefits to FWBR that college students have identified throughout various studies. In Afifi and Faulkner’s (2000) research, 67% of those that reported to have engaged in some type of sexual activity with a friend believed that this physical contact had increased the relationship’s quality. Other frequently perceived and discussed advantages to these sexually-charged relationships have included the lack of romantic relational commitment, easy access to sex, and trust in their partner (Weaver et al., 2011). Weaver, et al. research offered other aspects of FWBRs that their college-aged participants stated in interviews. The most intriguing outcome showed that the students enjoyed the relationships because it combined the best of traditional relationships – sex, intimacy, and companionship – with the best of casual relationships – independence, casualness, and freedom. At the same time, these relationships allow the participants to avoid the negative aspects of traditional, romantic relationships such as commitment, drama, complications, and more. Though there are many possible advantages of a FWBR, there are also a variety of negative implications that may be faced. Having one participant in the FWBR develop
t-test on Partner Uncertainty in Friends-with-Benefits Relationships Compared to Romantic Relationships (H1b) Group Statistics UNR1 N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Patuncert 1 67 6.5579 0.69433 0.08483 2 71 4.2685 1.00297 0.11903 Independent Samples Test Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances F Sig. Patuncert Equal Variances Assumed 7.239 0.008 Equal Variances Not Assumed Independent Samples Test t-test for equality of Means t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Patuncert Equal Variances Assumed 15.503 136 0.000 2.28942 Equal Variances Not Assumed 15.663 124.968 0.000 2.28942 Independent Samples Test t-test for Equality of Means Std. Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper Patuncert Equal Variances Assumed .14767 .14616 1.99738 2.00014 2.58145 2.57869 Equal Variances Not Assumed Table 2.1
Correlations between Relational Uncertainty and Liking in FWBRs (H2a) Correlations Like Relational Uncertainty Like Pearson Correlation 1.000 63 0.231 0.069 63 Sig. (2-tailed) N Relational Uncertainty Pearson Correlation 0.231 0.069 63 1.000 68 Sig. (2-tailed) N **Correlation is significant at the .05 level (2-tailed) Table 2.2 Correlations between Partner Uncertainty and Liking in FWBRs (H2b) Correlations Like Partner Uncertainty Like Pearson Correlation 1.000 63 0.233 0.066 63 Sig. (2-tailed) N Partner Uncertainty Pearson Correlation 0.233 0.066 63 1.000 71 Sig. (2-tailed) N **Correlation is significant at the .05 level (2-tailed) Appendix B