ABSTRACT
The impact of soap opera viewing on perceptions of intimate relationships is germane because soap operas portray relationships' problems and conflicts. Research has examined motives for watching television and the relationships among television and soap opera viewing and various attitudes, behaviors and perceptions. Women's relationships for more on communality with the partner just as low self-monitors' relationships are based on perceived similarity. Self-monitoring, individual differences in the deliberate control of expressive behavior and self-presentation, is relevant to relationship satisfaction. Pearson correlations among television/soap opera viewing, relationship belief, and self-monitoring variables were completed. Discriminant analyses showed that television viewing made a greater contribution to the prediction of soap opera viewing than soap opera viewing made to the prediction of television viewing. Distortion in the self-report of television and soap opera viewing is possible. Soap opera viewing was positively associated with the belief "mindreading is expected".
