Ellard, John H.Turnbull, Katherine2019-12-232019-12-232019-12-20Turnbull, K. B. (2019). Emotional Risk-Taking in Romantic Relationships (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/111389This study explores the phenomenon of emotional risk-taking (ERT), a component of self-disclosure that has exclusively been addressed in counseling, social work, and behavioral therapy literature. Brown (2012) has developed a theoretical rationale stating that individuals who embrace vulnerability (i.e., ERT) experience a deeper connection with others. Brown’s views are influential for the themes within the study, especially distinguishing trust from ERT. ERT is examined in the context of romantic relationships, as self-disclosure has been proposed to be one of the most critical influences of intimacy. Participants (N = 290) were recruited via Prolific, an academic survey host. The participant’s ages ranged from 18-74 years old (M = 33.47, SD = 10.57), with 54.1% identifying as female, 44.8% identifying as male, .7% identifying as non-binary, and .3% preferring not to disclose. The durations of the romantic relationships ranged from 6 months to 54 years (M = 9.11, SD = 8.53). Participants completed open-ended questions concerning a hypothetical scenario necessitating emotional risk-taking. Participants also completed measures of trust, intimacy, guilt and shame, ERT, and self-disclosure. Findings indicated positive relationships between ERT, trust, intimacy, and self-disclosure. As well, moderation and mediation analyses were conducted, indicating that ERT, as predicted, partially mediates the relationship between self-disclosure and intimacy. In addition, self-disclosure, along with ERT, mediated the relationship between trust and intimacy. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Emotional risk-takingRomantic relationshipsTrustSelf-disclosureGuiltShamePsychologyPsychology--Socialmaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/37375