Finding Mr. Wrong: Divergences in Mate Preferences and Mate Selection

Abstract

89 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007.When asked to choose among secure or insecure partner prototypes, research has shown that people tend to select secure individuals as their first choice. Despite this pattern, in reality not everyone selects secure partners. The goal of the current study was to examine some of the underlying processes of insecure partner selection. Experiment 1 used a cognitive load manipulation to determine if limited mental resources lead people to find insecure partners more attractive. Experiment 2 examined the role of flattery in the selection of insecure partners. Experiment 3 focused on the self-presentation strategies of insecure individuals that may make them attractive to potential mates. I found that flattery, but not cognitive distraction, increased attraction to insecure partners. Experiment 3 demonstrated that insecure individuals presented themselves as kind, humorous, and interesting people to potential mates. Anxious people also seemed as secure as genuinely secure people. These results suggest that positive feedback from insecure people makes them more attractive as partners and also that insecure individuals have numerous dating tactics that they may use to win over dating partners.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD