Romantic Relationship Termination 181as a (former) couple. Prior research has explored pre- romance satisfaction and
friendship, romantic relationship disengagement strategies, post- dissolution con-
tact, communication, interdependence, trajectories/ transitions, boundaries, and
rules in ex- partner relationships. It is important to keep in mind that the effects of
these factors on ex- partner friendship outcomes might be mediated or moderated
by intrapersonal factors or social network factors.
Preromance Friendship and Satisfaction in the Dissolved
Romantic RelationshipOne dyadic predictor of postdissolution friendship is whether there was a friend-
ship prior to the formation of a romantic relationship. Ex- partners are more likely
to be friends after romantic relationship dissolution if they were friends before
the romance evolved than if they were not friends before the romance developed
(Metts, Cupach, & Bejlovec, 1989; Schneider & Kenny, 2000). These ex- partners
can refer to their friendship scripts prior to being romantically involved, which can
facilitate the transition from a romance back to a friendship (Schneider & Kenny,
2000). As already noted, partners may lack friendship scripts and therefore must
develop one as the ex- partner friendship progresses.
One barrier to postdissolution friendship is disagreement on the desired defini-
tion of the new relationship (Monsour, Harris, Kurzweil, & Beard 1994; O’Meara,
1989). As men’s same- sex friendships seem to be less emotionally intimate (Pleck,
1975; Rubin, 1985) and women’s same- sex friendships tend to emphasize the emo-
tional bond of love as a significant aspect of their relationships (Barth & Kinder,
1988; Caldwell & Peplau, 1982), it is not surprising that heterosexual couples trying
to redefine a previously romantic relationship into a friendship may face obstacles,
especially when the existing norms for cross- sex friendships are already ambiguous
(Lauer & Handel, 1977; O’Meara, 1989).
Satisfaction in the dissolved romantic relationship is another predictor of postdis-
solution friendship satisfaction. Bullock, Hackathorn, Clark, and Mattingly (2011)
found that the more satisfied individuals were during the dissolved romance, the
more likely they were to be friends and engage in friendship maintenance behaviors
(positivity, supportiveness, openness, interaction) with their ex- partner. In addi-
tion, they found that friendship maintenance behaviors mediated the association
between past romantic satisfaction and friendship satisfaction, suggesting that if the
romantic relationship is satisfying, then it is more likely that the couple will engage
in friendship maintenance behaviors, which makes the postdissolution friendship
more satisfying (Bullock et al., 2011).
Romantic Relationship Disengagement
Disengagement strategies employed during romantic breakup may impact percep-
tions of relational partners (Krahl & Wheeless, 1997). The research findings on the