Growth of Interpersonal Relationships

Relationship Maintenance
Relationship maintenance behaviors are behaviors that serve to continue (maintain, retain) your relationship. Of course, maintenance behavior can serve a variety of functions. Some example:
- to keep the relationship intact: to retain the semblance of a relationship, to prevent dissolution of the relationship
- to keep the relationship at its present stages: to prevent it from moving too far toward either less or greater intimacy
- to keep the relationship satisfying: to maintain an appropriate balance between rewards and penalties

Reason for Maintaining Relationship
The reasons for maintaining are as numerous and as varied as the reason for beginning them.

Theoretical Predictions:
Attraction theory holds that relationships are maintained when there is significant attraction, generally of the kind that led to the development of the relationship. Although both individuals, as well as their definitions of what constitutes attractiveness, may have changed, the importance of attraction – however defined- is likely to continue throughout the life of the relationship.

Social exchange theory holds that relationships will be maintained as long as the relationship is profitable- as long as the rewards exceed the costs. Note, of course, that what constitutes a reward and how significant that reward is can be defined only by the individual. More specifically, you’re likely to maintain a relationship when it’s more rewarding than what you expected (your comparison level). You’re also likely to maintain your present relationship even when it falls short of your comparison level, as long as it’s still higher than what you feel you could get elsewhere (your comparison level for alternatives). So even though you may think you deserve more, if you can’t get more, then you’re likely to stay put.

Equity theory holds that you maintain the relationship when you perceive relative equity. If you feel that you’re getting rewards from the relationship proportional to the costs you’re paying, then you’re likely to maintain the relationship.

The more popular and frequently cited reasons for relationship maintenance:

Emotional attachment: Often you maintain a relationship because you love each other, you want to preserve your relationship, and you don’t find alternative couplings as inviting or as potentially enjoyable.

Convenience: The difficult involved in finding another person to live with, another business partner, or another social escort may make it more convenient to stay together than to break up.












Children: A couple may stay together because they feel, rightly or wrongly, that it’s in the best interests of the children; or the children may provide a socially acceptable excuse to mask the real reason- convenience, financial advantage, fear of being alone, and so on.

Fear: People may fear venturing into the outside world, being alone, facing others as “single”, or even making it on one paycheck and so many elect to preserve their current relationship as the better alternative.

Inertia: Some relationships are maintained because of inertia (the tendency for a body at rest to remain at rest and a body in motion to remain in motion); change seems too much trouble.

Commitment: People may have a strong commitment to each other or to the relationship. In fact, recent research finds that women’s commitment is more closely related to relationship maintenance and stability than any other factor.