Comparing equity and self‐expansion theory approaches to relational maintenance

Focusing on relational maintenance in heterosexual romantic dyads, this investigation compares the equity theory approach with self‐expansion theory, an alternative approach predicting maintenance behavior when a partner includes the other in the sense of the self. Results supported both theoretical explanations, albeit support for self‐expansion theory was more consistent, predicting all maintenance behavior types. Although relational maintenance constructs were statistically comparable between men and women, a sex difference emerged regarding maintenance behavior's predictors, with self‐expansion theory a stronger explanation for men but not women. The discussion considers how these results inform the distinction between exchange‐ and communally oriented conceptualizations of relationships, as well as development of a communicative theory of relational maintenance.