Relationship Between the Use of Mobile Telephone, Intimate Relationships and Interpersonal Conflict In Nigeria
Abstract
The responses of 121 Nigerian public servants in Abuja metropolis, the country’s capital city, to a survey instrument were used to determine the extent to which mobile telephone use impacted the intimate relationship and interpersonal conflicts in Nigeria. The data showed that partners in intimate relationships experience a number of problems to which they adopt the full range of options for resolving conflicts including negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Furthermore, mobile telephone use was said to relate directly to mistrust between parties in intimate relationships aside from being generally rated in a positive light. In addition, mobile telephone use was perceived to have impacted on aspects of human behavior including participation in social, cultural, and religious affairs as well as limiting social support to and from families of partners in a relationship. These findings were discussed in terms of dysfunctional patterns of adjustments to what can still be described as new technology and the transition from tradition to modernity in this part of the world. It was suggested among others; that people need to be educated about the distrust, disconnection, and other relational problems associated with mobile telephone use and the need to engage professionals to resolve problems of mistrust in intimate relationships and interpersonal conflicts.
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