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Learning Objective: 8-6: Identify relationship maintenance behaviors and outcomes.

Baker, L. R., Mcnulty, J. K., Overall, N. C., Lambert, N. M., & Fincham, F. D. (2012). How Do Relationship Maintenance Behaviors Affect Individual Well-Being?: A Contextual Perspective. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(3), 282-289. doi:10.1177/1948550612452891

Description: How do relationship maintenance behaviors affect individual well-being? Given that people who invest time and effort toward achieving important goals see their outcomes as more reflective of their skills and abilities than do people who invest less time and effort, engaging in relationship maintenance behaviors may lead people to experience increased individual well-being when those behaviors appear to be successful but decreased well-being when they appear to be unsuccessful. A diary study of romantic relationships, a diary study of friendships, and a longitudinal study of newlyweds provided support for this prediction. In all three studies, relationship maintenance behaviors were negatively associated with depressive mood when followed by relatively high relationship quality, but positively associated with depressive mood when followed by relatively low relationship quality. Accordingly, relationship maintenance processes are not inherently beneficial or harmful; their intrapersonal implications depend on the context in which they occur.

Questions to Consider

1. What is meant when the authors state “relationship maintenance processes are not inherently beneficial or harmful”?
    
2. The methodology for data collection in this study was _________________.
   
   1. observing couples interact during a difficult task
   2. diaries (Correct answer)
   3. interviews
   4. None of the above
       
3. This study primarily examined ___________________.
   
   1. individual-level consequences of relationship maintenance behaviors*
   2. individual-level benefits of relationship maintenance behaviors
   3. dyad-level consequences of relationship maintenance behaviors
   4. how relationship satisfaction is positively correlated with relationship maintenance behaviors
       

Learning Objective: 8-2: Describe the characteristics of committed partnerships, including the role of sexuality.

Arriaga, X. B., & Agnew, C. R. (2001). Being Committed: Affective, Cognitive, and Conative Components of Relationship Commitment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(9), 1190-1203. doi:10.1177/0146167201279011   

Description: This article presents the first systematic empirical examination of the state of relationship commitment as advanced by Rusbult and her colleagues, defining the state in terms of affective, cognitive, and conative components. From this perspective, the state of commitment is seen as having three distinct components: (a) psychological attachment, (b) long-term orientation, and (c) intention to persist. Two longitudinal studies of individuals in dating relationships revealed that the three components each predict both couple functioning and eventual breakup status. Both studies also provided suggestive evidence that long-term orientation is a particularly important component of commitment in dating relationships.

Questions to Consider

1. What sorts of relationship maintenance behaviors discussed in chapter eight could improve one’s intention to persist, psychological attachment, and long-term orientation?

2. According to this article, which of the below factors is particularly important for commitment?

1. The ratio of positive to negative interactions
2. Intention to persist
3. Psychological attachment
4. Long-term orientation (Correct answer)

3. In study two, the individuals whose relationships had ended were examined separately (i.e., abandoned and leavers).  They were then compared to the individuals still in a committed relationship.  What did the researchers find?

1. Those still in a committed relationship did not differ significantly from the abandoned individuals in terms of psychological attachment, intention to persist, and long-term orientation.  (Correct answer)
2. Those still in a committed relationship differed significantly from both the abandoned and leavers in terms of psychological attachment, intention to persist, and long-term orientation.
3. Those still in a committed relationship did not differ significantly from the abandoned individuals in terms of psychological attachment, but did differ significantly in intention to persist and long-term orientation.
4. No significant differences were found among any of the groups on any measure.