User:Stephaniegrisolia/Ghosting (relationships)

Below, the original definition of ghosting was copied over from the published Wikipedia page, as it was adequate in providing a brief understand to the topic before further explanation and details were added. Along with the original definition, I added the statement regarding the words induction to Collins dictionary to validate its use in everyday speech and formality. The sections that were added that don't currently exists on the original page are "Why People Ghost" and "Emotional Responses to Ghosting". Although, there is a section currently on the original page regarding ghosting in personal relationships I thought it was important to explain the behaviour and thought process of this now common practice by adding the "Why People Ghost" section. Further, I added the section of "Emotional Responses to Ghosting" so that the reader will get a better understanding of the emotional impact that ghosting has and it's normal or common responses. Both of these sections were not mentioned in the original Wikipedia page and I thought that they were important to incorporate given the popularity of the phenomenon, especially amongst my generation.

Ghosting is a colloquial term used to describe the practice of ceasing all communication and contact with a partner, friend, or similar individual without any apparent warning or justification and subsequently ignoring any attempts to reach out or communicate made by said partner, friend, or individual. Further, Collins dictionary added the term in 2015 defining it as "the act or an instance of ending a romantic relationships by not responding to attempts to communicate by the other party".

Why People Ghost
In the article Ghosting and destiny: Implicit theories of relationships predict beliefs about ghosting published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, ghosting intentions are associated with beliefs in growth and destiny. The results from this article conclude that beliefs in growth do not determine whether a person is likely to use ghosting to end a relationship, however, beliefs and perceptions of destiny significantly impact the outcome. Participants that have strong destiny beliefs are more likely to use ghosting as a technique to end short and long-term relationships.

Former head of Los Angeles' prestigious Cedars-Sinai Medical Center psychotherapy program Dr. Jennice Vilhauer states that "ghosting has a lot to do with someone's comfort level and how they deal with their emotions". Dr. Vilhauer further relates ghosting to Western societies access to dating apps and the simplicity of meeting and then ignoring people shortly after without any accountability.

Online dating applications such as Tinder or Bumble are often used and made famous by millennials seeking easy and efficient dating strategies to satisfy the need for instant gratification. A study conducted by Georgetown University found that over half of the online daters they interviewed used the term "marketplace" to describe the virtual dating world. Instead of getting to know someone for their personality, online daters with filter through hundreds of profiles and decide if they should proceed based on certain traits. If the specific traits they are looking for are not matched to the exact desire, daters will often submit to the "shopping cart mentality", the concept that "possible partners will be left on the shelf if they don't meet every item on a list of must haves". Ghosting is initiated when a person lacks sympathy and regards dating as a shopping experience, instead of a personal one.

Emotional Responses to Ghosting
A 2016 survey conducted by the dating app Plenty of Fish found that 78% of its users had been ghosted at one point in their life. Although the ghosting phenomenon is fairly recent relationship avoidance being used as a strategy to initiate a breakup has been around for a while. A study conducted in the 1980's linked relationship "avoidance" or "ghosting" to increased anxiety and anger on the receiving end of the termination. Some researchers suggest that a way to cope with behavioural conflict such as ghosting is with a cognitive behavioural therapy technique called exposure.

Other emotional responses to be ghosted are shock and denial, ghosting is also referred to as a silent form of rejection and its lack of closure can leave the recipients with doubt of the termination. Clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Teachers College Columbia University, Scott T. Wilson states that a normal emtional response to be ghosted are feelings of shame, guilt, or self-blame.