Beliefs about relationships in relation to television viewing, soap opera viewing, and self-monitoring

Undergraduates (n=188) completed: a survey of television and soap opera viewing habits; the Relationship Beliefs Inventory, measuring dysfunctional relationship beliefs; and Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale. It was hypothesized was that there would be positive associations between viewing habits and endorsement of dysfunctional relationship beliefs. Results supported this hypothesis. High television viewing was associated with the belief “the sexes are different,” and high soap opera viewing was associated with the belief “mindreading is expected” between partners. High self-monitors watched television more for escape than low self-monitors. Implications for research on dysfunctional relationship beliefs are discussed.