title: The equilibrium model of relationship maintenance.
abstract: A new equilibrium model of relationship maintenance is proposed. People can protect relationship bonds by practicing 3 threat-mitigation rules: Trying to accommodate when a partner is hurtful, ensuring mutual dependence, and resisting devaluing a partner who impedes one's personal goals. A longitudinal study of newlyweds revealed evidence for the equilibrium model, such that relationship well-being (as indexed by satisfaction and commitment) declining from its usual state predicted increased threat-mitigation; in turn, increasing threat mitigation from its usual state predicted increased relationship well-being. Longitudinal findings further revealed adaptive advantages to uncertain trust. First, the match between trust and partner-risk predicted the trajectory of threat mitigation over time. People who hesitated to trust a high-risk partner became more likely to mitigate threats over 3 years, but people who hesitated to trust a safe partner became less likely to mitigate threats. The match between threat mitigation and partner-risk also predicted when being less trusting eroded later relationship well-being. Namely, when women paired with high-risk partners became more likely to mitigate threats, being less trusting at marriage lost its capacity to erode later relationship well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Division of Marketing, University of British Columbia.
authors.forename: Dale W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Research Institute on Addictions.
authors.forename: Jaye L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Derrick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012306:Risk; D035502:Trust