References 459However, we argued further, record keeping may become
an issue in relationships that members would like to see op-
erate on a communal basis. It becomes an issue if and when
needs are perceived to have been neglected and attributions
of a lack of caring are made. In such cases, partners in a rela-
tionship may switch to record-keeping norms such as ex-
change, equity, or equality in an effort to ensure that their
needs are met. Once this is done, it is very likely that unfair-
ness will be perceived (whether it objectively exists or not),
and distress is likely to increase. However, we do believe that
many couples are resilient and will “bounce back” to follow-
ing communal norms with time. Others will not be resilient,
and members of such relationships will continue, often times
unhappily, to use record-keeping rules to give and receive
benefits or even to rely on pure self-interest. Depending
on barriers to exiting the relationship, it may or may not
dissolve.
REFERENCES
Ainsworth, M. D., Blehar, M. C., Waters, C., & Wall, S. (1978).
Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange sit-
uation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Austin, W. (1980). Friendship and fairness: Effects of type of rela-
tionship and task performance on choice of distribution rules.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 6,402–408.
Bradbury, T. N., & Fincham, F. D. (1990). Attributions in marriage:
Review and critique. Psychological Bulletin, 107,3–33.
Buunk, B. P., & Van Yperen, N. W. (1991). Referential comparisons,
relational comparisons, and exchange orientation: Their relation
to marital satisfaction. Personality and Social Psychology Bul-
letin, 17,709–717.
Cate, R. M., Lloyd, S. A., & Henton, J. M. (1985). The effect of
equity, equality and reward level on the stability of students’
premarital relationships. Journal of Social Psychology, 125,
175–725.
Chaiken, A. L., & Derlega, V. J. (1974). Liking for the norm-breaker
in self-disclosure. Journal of Personality, 42,117–129.
Christensen, L., & Wallace, L. (1976). Perceptual accuracy as a vari-
able in marital adjustment. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy,
2,130–136.
Clark, M. S., Fitness, J., & Brissette, I. (2001). Understanding peo-
ple’s perceptions of relationships is crucial to understanding
their emotional lives. In G. Fletcher & M. S. Clark (Eds.), Black-
well handbook of social psychology: Interpersonal processes
(pp. 253–278). London: Blackwell.
Clark, M. S. & Grote, N. K. (2001). Manuscript in preparation.
Clark, M. S., & Mills, J. (1979). Interpersonal attraction in exchange
and communal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 37,12–24.
Clark, M. S., & Mills, J. (1993). The difference between communal
and exchange relationships: What it is and is not. Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19,684–691.
Clark, M. S., Mills, J., & Powell, M. C. (1986). Keeping track of
needs in communal and exchange relationships. Journal of Per-
sonality and Social Psychology, 51,333–338.
Clark, M. S., Ouellette, R., Powell, M. C., & Milberg, S. (1987).
Recipient’s mood, relationship type and helping. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 53,94–103.
Clark, M. S., & Waddell, B. (1983). Effects of moods on thoughts
about helping, attraction, and information acquisition. Social
Psychology Quarterly, 46,31–35.
Collins, N. L., & Allard, L. M. (2001). Cognitive representations of
attachment: The content and function of working models. In
G. J. O. Fletcher & M. S. Clark (Eds.),Blackwell handbook of
social psychology: Interpersonal processes(pp. 60–85). London:
Blackwell.
Collins, N. L., & Feeney, B. C. (2000). A safe haven: An attachment
theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate
relationships.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78,
1053–1073.
Collins, N. L., & Miller, L. C. (1994). Self-disclosure and liking: A
meta-analytic view. Psychological Bulletin, 116,457–475.
Cox, C. L., Wesler, M. O., Rusbult, C. E., & Gaines, S. O. (1997).
Prescriptive support and commitment processes in close rela-
tionships.Social Psychology Quarterly, 60,79–90.
Deutsch, M. (1975). Equity, equality and need: What determines
which value will be used as the basis of distributive justice?
Journal of Social Issues, 31,137–148.
Deutsch, M. (1985). Distributive justice: A socio-psychological
perspective. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Feeney, J. A. (1995). Adult attachment and emotional control. Per-
sonal Relationships, 2,143–159.
Feeney, J. A. (1999). Adult attachment, emotional control, and mar-
ital satisfaction. Personal Relationships, 6,169–185.
Finkel, E. J., & Campbell, W. K. (2001). Self-control and accomo-
dation in close relationships: An interdependence analysis. Jour-
nal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81,263–277.
Fitzpatrick, J., & Sollie, D. L. (1999). Influence of individual and
interpersonal factors on satisfaction and stability in romantic re-
lationships.Personal Relationships, 6,337–350.
Gottman, J. M. (1979). Marital interaction: Experimental investiga-
tions. New York: Academic Press.
Gottman, J. M., & Porterfield, A. L. (1981). Communicative com-
petence in the nonverbal behavior of married couples. Journal of
Marriage and the Family, 43,817–824.
Grote, N. K., & Clark, M. S. (1998). Distributive justice norms and
family work: What is perceived as ideal, what is applied, and
what predicts perceived fairness? Social Justice Research, 11,
243–269.
Grote, N. K., & Clark, M. S. (2001). Does conflict drive per-
ceptions of unfairness or do perceptions of unfairness drive