IMPLICIT THEORIES OF RELATIONSHIPS - ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP INITIATION, COPING, AND LONGEVITY

Belief in romantic destiny holds that potential relationship partners are either meant for each other or they are not. As hypothesized, a lo ngitudinal study of romantic relationships revealed that the relation between initial satisfaction and relationship longevity was stronger f or those who believe in romantic destiny. In addition, belief in desti ny was associated with avoidance coping strategies in dealing with rel ationship stressors, and with taking more responsibility for ending th e relationship. Belief in growth independently holds that successful r elationships ate cultivated and developed, and was associated with lon g-term approaches to dating, relationship-maintaining coping strategie s and, once the relationship had ended, disagreeing that it seemed wro ng from the beginning. Implications and future research avenues are di scussed.