Date of Conferral
11-25-2025
Date of Award
November 2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Chet Lesniak
Abstract
Poor communication practices have significantly strained marital relationships, contributing to increased divorce rates in the United States. As a self-conscious emotion, hubristic pride often leads to poor communication, which in turn exacerbates marital discord and contributes to the breakdown of families. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how divorcees perceive the impact of hubristic pride on communication in their previous marriages. The theoretical framework underpinning this study was Homans’s social exchange theory. Data were obtained from eight divorced participants not actively involved in ongoing custody proceedings through semistructured interviews and analyzed using Saldaña’s descriptive coding methodology. Findings revealed four main themes: emotional immaturity, defense mechanisms, emotional reactivity, and unhealthy interactions. Grounded in emotional immaturity, hubristic pride functioned as a defense mechanism that heightened emotional reactivity and disrupted healthy communication. These findings may promote positive social change by increasing awareness of maladaptive communication patterns, fostering emotionally responsive dialogue within families. It may also inform counseling practices in the development of relational education curricula designed to enhance clients’ interpersonal functioning.
Recommended Citation
Harms, Amanda, "Divorcees’ Experiences of Hubristic Pride in Communication in Previous Marital Relationships" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18778.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18778
