AnIn-depth Investigation of Lying, Gaslighting, and Conflict Management Styles in Relationships through Mediation, Implicit Associations, and Qualitative Perspectives.

Abstract

To discover the relationships between relationship assessment, lying in everyday situations, being gaslighted by the partners, and conflict management styles. To understand the hidden attitudes and beliefs of two groups of individuals regarding lying and gaslighting, gain insight into the relationships, and learn from their unique experiences. This study was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved a sample of 120 participants, aged 18-25 who were given questionnaires. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22.0 and Process Macro. The second phase involved a sample of 50 participants who were divided into two groups - HLHG and LLLG. Independent sample t-tests were conducted using Jamovi 2.5.3. In the final phase, a sample of 14 participants was drawn from the experimental groups, and 7 interviews were conducted in each group. Thematic analysis was conducted with the help of Atlas.ti. Both relational lying and vindictive lying were negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction; Out of the five conflict management styles , collaborating and competing were found to be positively correlated with relationship satisfaction. Relational lying and vindictive lying were negatively correlated with collaboration and competing. Partner gaslighting was negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction, while collaborating and competing conflict management styles were positively correlated with relational lying and vindictive lying. Direct and indirect effects were found within the sequential mediation model. The experiment results indicate that there are significant differences between the HLHG and LLLG groups in both average response times and accuracy percentages. The HLHG group had faster response times than the LLLG group. On the other hand, the HLHG group had significantly lower accuracy percentages than the LLLG group, indicating that individuals in the HLHG group had lower accuracy in categorizing than those in the LLLG group. The thematic analysis shows how lying perceptions, gaslighting experiences, and coping strategies affect relationships. Findings suggest promoting trust and well-being by addressing faulty patterns and fostering open communication.