Why Relationships Matter

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Perceiving barriers to leaving a relationship has been conceptualized as a sign of commitment.

Recent evidence suggests that barriers to leaving predict depression, anxiety, and drug use.

For some, perceiving barriers to leaving a relationship may indicate they feel trapped or hopeless.

Sexual and gender minority people may express commitment in other ways.

Established relationship theory suggests that perceiving barriers to leaving a relationship is a sign of commitment. It is a psychological relationship maintenance strategy – an asset – that increases personal motivation to maintain a relationship (Rusbult, 1980, 1983).

In some ways, this is a logical conclusion. Imagine a person who has been in his relationship for 10 years, he lives with his partner, they share financial costs, and they have a strong social network of friends and family who know them as a couple. Now imagine that in a moment of frustration, this person thinks about leaving his partner. Doing so would require disentangling 10 years of living together. They would need to change their living situation, find a way to meet financial obligations, and also explain the........

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