Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

5-2014

Abstract

There is little research on the nature of relationships between individuals following the termination of a nonmarital romantic relationship. It is largely unknown to what extent former romantic partners remain close following breakup. The present research used the Investment Model of Commitment Processes, assessed prior to romantic breakup, to examine the closeness of post-breakup relationships. Results obtained from two waves of data collected from 143 young adults involved in romantic relationships at Time 1 and experiencing a romantic breakup by Time 2 indicated that pre-breakup romantic commitment mediated the effects of pre-breakup romantic satisfaction, investments, and alternatives on post-breakup closeness, with higher pre-breakup commitment predicting greater post-breakup closeness. Implications of these findings for understanding the underlying dynamics of ongoing interpersonal relationships and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

Ex-romantic partners, interpersonal processes, Investment Model, post-dating relationships, relationship commitment, relationship dissolution

Discipline

Social Psychology and Interaction

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Volume

32

Issue

4

First Page

456

Last Page

471

ISSN

0265-4075

Identifier

10.1177/0265407514536293

Publisher

SAGE Publications (UK and US)

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