Lay Beliefs About Romantic Relationships: A Mediator of the Effect of Family Dysfunction on Romantic Relationship Satisfaction

This paper tested why people differ with regard to whether they believe it is possible to find enduring love. Variations were assumed to be due to differences in people’s experiences. Those who experienced dysfunction in their family of origin and who did not have positive relationships role-modelled to them were expected to be less likely to have positive lay beliefs about romantic relationships. Positive lay beliefs, in turn, were hypothesised to impact on dysfunction in own romantic relationships later on in life, which were in turn expected to affect relationship satisfaction. In other words, positive lay beliefs were tested as one potential mechanism through which family dysfunction whilst growing up impacts on relationship dysfunction in later adult life. This paper presents a pilot study (N = 176) which introduces a measure for ‘positive lay beliefs about romantic relationships’, and finds this measure to be associated, as expected, with dysfunction in the family of origin. The main study (N = 435) then tested the full hypothesised model (family-of-origin dysfunction → positive lay beliefs → romantic relationship dysfunction → relationship satisfaction) with structural equation modelling, and found that the model fitted the data very well, confirming the hypotheses. It was concluded that lay beliefs about whether or not it is possible to find enduring love are an important mediator of the effects of family-of-origin dysfunction on later romantic relationship satisfaction.

Oh Darling, This Too Shall Pass: Cyclic Perceptions of Change Keep You in Romantic Relationships Longer During Difficult Times

The present research explored how individual differences in perceptions of change (cyclic vs. linear) influence relational decisions. Three studies examined whether cyclic perceptions of change, a central feature of holistic thinking, keep people in romantic relationships longer due to the belief that hardships too shall pass. Study 1 found that cyclic perceivers reported greater endurance against relational transgressions than linear perceivers. In Studies 2a and 2b, cyclic perceivers reported fewer breakups in romantic relationships (Study 2a) and showed less willingness to break up (Study 2b) than linear perceivers due to their stronger relational endurance. Through a longitudinal examination, Study 3 evidenced that cyclic perceivers were more likely to remain in romantic relationships than linear perceivers over 1 year. The current studies provide new insight into how individual differences in perceptions of change contribute to decision-making in romantic relationships.

Relationship Expectations and Relationship Quality

This article reviews research that examines the effects of relationship expectations on interpersonal relationships. Most of the published research suggests that positive relationship expectations are associated with better interpersonal functioning, as indicated by greater relationship persistence, more positive relationship evaluations and motivations, more prorelationship behavior, more forgiveness, and reduced contempt. Research on related constructs, such as relationship efficacy, implicit theories, trust, and insecurity dispositions, suggests a similar conclusion. However, there is some evidence that positive relationship expectations may sometimes have negative effects on healthy relationship functioning. A model of the multiple pathways through which relationship expectations may promote and threaten relationship quality is described, and several directions for future research are suggested.