Relationship Maintenance: A Review of Research on Romantic Relationships

Studies about heterosexual individuals’ long-term relationship maintenance have indicated that committed individuals possess evolved psychological mechanisms that help protect their ongoing romantic relationships against threats from attractive others during early stage attentional processing when mating-related motivation is activated. In this study, two experiments tested the relationship maintenance mechanism among committed female college students in the Chinese cultural context under different love priming conditions. Committed Chinese women displayed inattention to attractive alternatives in positive love-scenario priming (Study 1: 114 female undergraduates, age range = 18–26 years), subliminal semantic love priming (Study 2: 110 female undergraduates, age range = 18–25 years), and baseline conditions (Studies 1 and 2). Those with high levels of chronic jealousy showed significantly increased attention to and difficulty disengaging attention from attractive rivals when subliminally primed with love. This provides further evidence, from an Eastern cultural context, for the existence of attentional biases toward attractive alternatives and rivals in early stage attentional processes for relationship maintenance. This research also illustrates the important role of romantic love in maintaining long-term romantic relationships.

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The Use of Social Networking Sites for Relationship Maintenance in Long-Distance and Geographically Close Romantic Relationships

Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking ◽

10.1089/cyber.2014.0469 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 152-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Cherrie Joy Billedo ◽

Peter Kerkhof ◽

Catrin Finkenauer

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Social Networking ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Long Distance

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Like a Horse and Carriage?

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000237 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 265-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gurit E. Birnbaum

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Reciprocal Relation ◽

Sexual Systems ◽

Maintenance Mechanism ◽

Emotional Bonds ◽

Causal Direction ◽

Sexual Responses

Abstract. Sexual urges and emotional attachments are not necessarily interrelated. Still, within romantic relationships, intimates typically function as both attachment figures and sexual partners, such that the attachment and sexual systems may influence one another. The present article reviews the reciprocal relation between these two systems. Specifically, previous studies have demonstrated the contribution of attachment processes to the appraisal of sexual interactions in adolescence and adulthood. Other studies have considered the reverse causal direction, focusing on the function of sex as a promoter of emotional bonds and on the circumstances under which this function is more pronounced. In doing so, some of these studies have investigated the role of attachment processes in linking sexuality with relationship quality and in shaping sexual responses to relationship-threatening events. More research is needed to explore the dual potential of sex as a relationship maintenance mechanism and as a force motivating people to pursue alternative partners.

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Self-efficacy in romantic relationships: direct and indirect effects on relationship maintenance and satisfaction

Personality and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.013 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 89 ◽

pp. 152-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dana A. Weiser ◽

Daniel J. Weigel

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Direct And Indirect Effects

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‘Wherever you go, wherever you are, I am with you … connected with my mobile’: the use of mobile text messages for the maintenance of family and romantic relations

Connecting Families? ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447339946.003.0013 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 237-254

Author(s):

Bernadette Kneidinger-Müller

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Mobile Communication ◽

Research Methodology ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Text Messages ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Diary Study ◽

Digital Tool ◽

Using Data

This chapter examines how smartphones may function as a relevant digital tool for maintaining both family and romantic relationships. Using data from a quantitative diary study and follow-up qualitative interviews with twenty-four smartphone users aged 20–30 years as a part of a research teaching course at a German university in June 2015, the chapter considers the different reasons for using text messages. It first provides an overview of relationship maintenance in the age of mobile communication before discussing the research methodology and the findings. The results show that smartphones are used as everyday companions by the majority of respondents and allow perpetual contact with loved ones, independent of time or space. The study also revealed the content of the text messages and the perception that smartphones and texting pose a threat to relationships. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the study.

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The relationship sabotage scale: an evaluation of factor analyses and constructive validity

BMC Psychology ◽

10.1186/s40359-021-00644-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Raquel Peel ◽

Nerina Caltabiano

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Romantic Relationships ◽

Romantic Partners ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Relationship Skills ◽

Relationship Therapy ◽

Relational Outcomes ◽

The One ◽

As Relationship ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background Some individuals are no longer entering romantic relationships, others move through relationships too quickly searching for “the one” and making quick assessments of their romantic partners, while others stay in their relationships but “check out” or do not work on their issues. These are conclusions from two studies: (1) an interview with psychologists who specialise in relationship therapy, and (2) an analysis of individuals’ lived experiences of relationships. The concept of relationship sabotage can explain these phenomena. However, presently, there is no instrument to conceptualise and empirically measure how people continue to employ self-defeating attitudes and behaviors in (and out) of relationships to impede success, or withdraw effort, and justify failure. Methods and Results A series of three studies (involving a total of 1365 English speaking individuals of diverse gender orientation, sexual orientation, and cultural background, with relationship sabotage experience) were conceptualized for the current project to fill the need for scale development and to build empirical evidence on the topic of self-sabotage in romantic relationships. The scale was developed over two studies using exploratory factor analysis and one-congeneric model analyses. The third study, using confirmatory factor analysis, confirmed the final structure for the Relationship Sabotage Scale (RSS), which contains 12 items and three factors: defensiveness, trust difficulty, and lack of relationship skills. Constructive validity analyses were also conducted. Conclusion The RSS is a brief scale that provides conclusive information about individual patterns in relationships. Findings using this scale can offer explanations regarding the reasons that individuals engage in destructive behaviours from one relationship to the next. Investigations should continue to test a model for sabotage in romantic relationships using the developed scale and other factors such as relationship diferences and insecure attachment. More specifically, this measure can be used to understand mediator constructs of relational outcomes within the attachment framework to explain relationship dissolution and work towards relationship maintenance.

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The Big 5 and relationship maintenance on Facebook

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407518772089 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 1785-1806 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gwendolyn Seidman

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Online Survey ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Negative Outcomes ◽

Big 5 ◽

Public Displays ◽

Facebook Use ◽

Maintenance Activities

The current study examined associations between the Big 5, relationship maintenance activities on Facebook (public displays and partner surveillance), and Facebook-related relationship difficulties (conflict and jealousy). Two hundred fifty-seven individuals currently involved in romantic relationships completed an online survey assessing Facebook activity and the Big 5. Greater extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with higher frequency of displays of dyadic photographs and posts on one’s own or one’s partner’s Facebook page. High extraversion, low openness, and low conscientiousness were associated with engaging in excessive public displays on Facebook. High extraversion and neuroticism were associated with greater partner surveillance and Facebook-related conflict. Neuroticism was also associated with more Facebook-induced jealousy. Surveillance mediated the associations between these two traits and these negative outcomes. Openness and conscientiousness were associated with experiencing fewer negative outcomes of Facebook use.

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Explaining the impact of differences in voting patterns on resilience and relational load in romantic relationships during the transition to the Trump presidency

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407519846566 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 3-26

Author(s):

Tamara D. Afifi ◽

Nicole Zamanzadeh ◽

Kathryn Harrison ◽

Debora Perez Torrez

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Load Model ◽

Ongoing Relationship ◽

Relational Resilience ◽

Emotional Capital ◽

Relational Outcomes ◽

Communal Orientation ◽

The Impact ◽

Positive Effect

The theory of resilience and relational load was used to examine the impact of voting patterns in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on individuals’ romantic relationships. Married/cohabitating individuals ( N = 961) completed online surveys at three time points during the transition to the Trump Presidency. The results supported our emotional capital hypothesis in that ongoing relationship maintenance in one’s relationship predicted less stress about the Trump presidency, less conflict, less relational load, greater communal orientation, and greater relational resilience. The positive effect of ongoing relationship maintenance on these relational outcomes occurred regardless of how the partners voted. At the same time, voting differently than one’s partner was still stressful and negatively influenced these outcomes. The results also supported our relational load model, which found that differences in voting negatively affected individuals’ communal orientation and the degree to which they maintained their relationships, which fueled conflict and stress. This conflict and stress was associated with an increase in relational load and a decrease in relational resilience.

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The Link between Attachment Style and Self-Reported Olfactory Ability: A Preliminary Investigation

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11101367 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1367

Author(s):

Amy Shell ◽

Anna Blomkvist ◽

Mehmet K. Mahmut

Keyword(s):

Romantic Relationships ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Olfactory Ability

Individuals in healthy romantic relationships gain significant benefits to their psychological wellbeing and physiological health. Notably, the majority of relationship research has focused on how adult attachment influences these relationship outcomes while the role of olfaction remains an emerging research focus. The aim of the current study was to bring together these seemingly unrelated factors–attachment and olfaction–in an online quasi-experimental design. The participants were 401 undergraduate students, predominantly females, ranging in age from 17 to 70 years. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that evaluated their attachment tendencies, olfactory ability and experiences in romantic relationships. Results indicated that attachment insecurity, across both attachment anxiety and avoidance, was associated with decreased olfactory functioning for females. These findings provide preliminary evidence that olfaction is related to romantic relationship maintenance and suggests that body odors could be fundamental for evoking the attachment system. These findings also elicit enticing new avenues of research which can assist psychologists to provide targeted treatments to individuals with olfactory deficits and insecure attachment tendencies.

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Happy Wife, Happy Life: Food Choices in Romantic Relationships

Journal of Consumer Research ◽

10.1093/jcr/ucx093 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (6) ◽

pp. 1238-1256 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jonathan Hasford ◽

Blair Kidwell ◽

Virginie Lopez-Kidwell

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Romantic Relationships ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

Food Choices ◽

Relationship Maintenance ◽

Eating Patterns ◽

Relationship Formation ◽

Happy Life ◽

Relationship Partners

Abstract The authors extend research on dyadic decision making by examining how relationship partners influence consumer eating patterns. Using research from relationship science and evolutionary psychology, the authors find that romantic relationship motives of formation and maintenance influence eating behaviors. Specifically, females are influenced by the eating patterns (i.e., healthiness/unhealthiness) of males when relationship formation motives are active, while males are influenced by the eating patterns of females when relationship maintenance motives are active. Furthermore, perceptions of relational influence differ between relationship formation and maintenance, which underlies these observed effects. This research contributes to the consumer behavior literature by revealing the powerful influence of relationships on food consumption.

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