Lover and learner: Exploring relational schema change following relationship dissolution

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Romantic relationships are known to be very influential, but less is known about how these relationships, and particularly the breakup of these relationships, may affect individuals’ relational schemas, or their expectations for relationships. Undergraduate students reported on how their views of themselves, romantic partners, and relationships changed after breaking up with a past partner. Results suggest that relational schemas change following relationship dissolution and that there are both positive and negative aspects to this change. There was also some evidence that aspects of the past relationship predicted change and the valence of change, and that change and the valence of change were related to aspects of current relationship quality. These results are an important first step in understanding how past romantic relationships influence people’s expectations about relationships and, by extension, their health and wellbeing.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Social Psychology
Volume159
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)270-283
Number of pages14
ISSN0022-4545
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis.

    Research areas

  • Change in relationship knowledge, cognition, relational schemas, relationship, relationship dissolution, self-schema

ID: 291121855