Romantic Relationship Termination 189Ganong & Coleman, 1994; Masheter, 1991). Coparenting after a divorce or breakup
may be the cause of strife in a relationship and may lower the possibility of having a
good friendship (Buunk & Mutsaers, 1999; Ganong & Coleman, 1994; Masheter,
1991). Perhaps the necessarily collaborative nature of coparenting after a breakup
may be one more barrier to high- quality friendships for those involved. However,
this outcome may depend on the types of communication the former partners use
regarding their child, as more positive forms of communication can lead to friend-
lier interactions, even though these interactions are not necessarily indicative of an
actual friendship (Isaacs & Leon, 1988).
Discussion
Many people consider friendship with an ex- romantic partner after relationship dis-
solution as desirable, fewer make it happen, but some become best friends. Not only
are there many factors involved in the formation of ex- partner friendships, but these
intrapersonal, dyadic, and social network factors interact in complex ways to deter-
mine the type of relationship that one has with an ex- partner.
Future Research
In the area of intrapersonal factors, the ex- partner friendship research needs to
address some basic demographic variables. For example, future research needs to
better distinguish between friendships of dissolved dating relationships and dis-
solved marital relationships as well as explore nonheterosexual ex- partner friend-
ships. Various religious and legal issues, as well as commitment and relationship
duration variables, underlie possible differences between these demographic
groups. Further, when examining demographic differences, it is often helpful to also
examine moderators (e.g., under what conditions are there differences between ex-
dating and ex- married partners) and mediators (e.g., what are the underlying mech-
anisms that explain the differences between ex- married and ex- dating partners). In
addition, more research is needed on the positive (e.g., feel a connection) and nega-
tive (e.g., revenge) motivations to develop (or not) friendships with ex- partners and
the influence of those motivations on the satisfaction, commitment, and commu-
nication on the future of the ex- partner relationship (Adamsons & Pasley, 2006;
Bullock et al., 2011).
More dyadic research is needed on ex- partner friendships with data collected
from both ex- partners. Many methodological and statistical advancements have
been made in collecting and analyzing dyadic data (Kashy, Campbell, & Harris,
2006). For example, dyadic research can examine similarities and differences across
a wide range of both persons’ perceptions and experiences and how they relate to
relationship outcomes (Wittenborn, Dolbin- McNab, & Keily, 2013).