On‐again/off‐again dating relationships: How are they different from other dating relationships?

This article explores the understudied yet prevalent phenomenon of on‐again/off‐again (on‐off) dating relationships. Study 1 (N= 445 U.S. college students) showed that almost two thirds of participants had experienced an on‐off relationship. Analyses of open‐ended responses about relationship experiences showed on‐off partners were less likely to report positives (e.g., love and understanding from partners) and more likely to report negatives (e.g., communication problems, uncertainty) than partners who had not broken up and renewed. Study 2 (N= 236), employing quantitative measures, substantiated these findings and further showed a greater number of renewals was associated with greater negatives and fewer positives. Results highlight the need for further investigation regarding on‐off relationships, and theories potentially useful in explaining these relationships are discussed.     

Weakening Relationships We Try to Preserve: Motivated Sacrifice,Attachment, and Relationship Quality

Individuals' motivations for sacrificing are associated with relational outcomes, such that approach‐motivated sacrifices lead to increased satisfaction, whereas avoidance‐motivated sacrifices lead to decreased satisfaction ( Impett et al., 2005 ). Because attachment styles are associated with relational outcomes ( Feeney & Collins, 2003 ), the current study examined whether approach‐ and avoidance‐motivated sacrifices would mediate the association between attachment and satisfaction. Results indicated that avoidance motives did not mediate the relationship between attachment avoidance and satisfaction. However, avoidance motives mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and satisfaction, whereas approach motives suppressed that relationship. Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals high in attachment anxiety (but not attachment avoidance) seem to unintentionally weaken the relationship for which they are making sacrifices.