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Perceived Marginalization and the Prediction of Romantic Relationship Stability
Author(s) -
Lehmiller Justin J,
Agnew Christopher R
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00429.x
Subject(s) - romance , psychology , social psychology , longitudinal study , developmental psychology , association (psychology) , statistics , mathematics , psychoanalysis , psychotherapist
The present research examined how perceived marginalization of one’s romantic relationship is associated with level of future commitment to and stability of that involvement. Results from a 7‐month longitudinal study of romantically involved individuals ( N = 215) revealed that perceived social network marginalization at Time 1 predicted breakup status at Time 2, with commitment level at Time 1 fully mediating this association. Among those individuals whose relationships remained intact, social network marginalization predicted Time 2 commitment above and beyond satisfaction, alternatives, and investments. Additional analyses revealed that perceived general societal marginalization was a less robust predictor of relationship commitment and stability compared to social network marginalization. These findings highlight the important consequences of perceived social disapproval on relationship outcomes.