Interpersonal Processes in Romantic Relationships

I nterpersonal communication is central to romantic relationships. The way two people interact when they first meet can either ignite or extinguish hopes of future romance (Davis, 1973). Couples' communication is associated with what partners think about each other (Sillars, Roberts, Leonard, & Dun, 2000), how they generally behave toward each other (Fitzpatrick, 1988), and how they feel about their relationship (Noller, 1984). Patterns of interaction can even determine whether a relationship continues or ends (Gottman, 1994). In short, communication not only reflects romantic relationships, it also defines them (Duck, 1994; Knapp, 1984). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a selective review of the literature on interper-sonal communication in romantic relationships. The chapter is divided into three parts. In the first section, theory and research associated with the initiation of romantic relationships are examined. In the second section, literature describing some of the interpersonal processes that typify ongoing romantic relationships is reviewed. Both individual characteristics (e.g., cognition and affect) and interpersonal patterns (e.g., couple types, behavioral sequences) are described. Finally, in the third section, studies focusing on relational dissolution and divorce are discussed. It is important to acknowledge that the review of research and theory offered in this chapter is by no means comprehensive. A chapter of this length could not possibly do justice to a comprehensive review—the literature simply is too vast and too diverse. The effort here was to include many of the research findings that capture the spirit of what scholars know about interpersonal interaction in romantic relationships. Given this, difficult selections were made. In some cases, interesting studies were omitted. In others, topics that are relevant to romantic relationships were excluded. It is my hope that the reader will indulge these choices and use the ideas presented in this chapter as stimuli for further study.