Relationship Maintenance in Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract Relationship maintenance processes refer to a wide range of cognitive and behavioral strategies that serve to protect and enhance the quality and stability of romantic relationships. As romantic partners share more aspects of their lives together, their goals become increasingly coordinated and they become especially motivated to care for each other’s welfare. However, even established romantic relationships face times of difficulty, including problems with action coordination. As interdependence between partners grows, partners face challenges distinct from those that surround relationships in which interdependence is low. In this chapter, we review the current social psychological literature on relationship maintenance processes and discuss how these strategies may change as evolutionary priorities (e.g., striving for success in the workplace or caring for children and parents) become more prominent over the course of long-term involvements. In this regard, we focus on strategies that are more prevalent among older adults and discuss how these strategies may reflect adaptations to the constraints that romantic partners face at later stages in life. We conclude our discussion with recommendations for future research and a call for integrative work that combines evolutionary and social psychological perspectives to refine our understanding of maintenance processes among older adults.