Abstract
Drawing on Relational Goal Pursuit Theory, we predicted that the following factors would foster persistence of attempted reconciliation following the breakup of a dating or romantic relationship: (a) the rejected partner's linking of the desired relationship with more important life goals; (b) the rejected partner's rumination about the ex-partner and the former relationship; (c) the rejected partner's belief that reconciliation attempts will be successful; and (d) the rejected partner's emotional distress regarding the failure to accomplish reconciliation. Results showed strong support for the theory, with linking, rumination, and self-efficacy being particularly predictive of persistence of reconciliation attempts.
Notes
Note. Linking, rumination, self-efficacy, emotional flooding, and persistence were all measured on 1–7 scales. Relational pursuit behaviors and severe pursuit behaviors were measured on 0–2 scales. Row means with different subscripts are significantly different at p < .05.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p ≤ .001.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p ≤ .001.