Exchange theory predicts that people who adopt favorable attitudes toward d
ivorce invest fewer resources in their marriages, thus eroding marital qual
ity. Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that people who experience declin
es in marital quality adopt more favorable attitudes toward divorce as they
anticipate leaving the relationship. This study tests both hypotheses. Nat
ional, longitudinal data and structural equation models are used to estimat
e reciprocal paths between changes in attitudes toward divorce and changes
in marital quality. The data provide stronger support for the exchange theo
ry hypothesis than the cognitive dissonance hypothesis. Adopting more favor
able attitudes toward divorce appears to undermine marital quality in the l
ong run.