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8 - Attributions, Forgiveness, and Gratitude as Relationship Maintenance Processes

from Part III - Processes of Relationship Maintenance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2019

By
James K. McNulty  and
Alexander Dugas
Edited by
Brian G. Ogolsky  and
J. Kale Monk
Brian G. Ogolsky
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
J. Kale Monk
Affiliation:
University of Missouri
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Summary

This chapter details and evaluates existing research on the extent to which three related cognitive processes are associated with the successful maintenance of relationships and relationship satisfaction: benevolent attributions, forgiveness, and gratitude. As detailed throughout the chapter, it appears that the extent to which each process is associated with the successful maintenance of relationship satisfaction depends critically on the context in which it operates, including aspects of the people involved in the relationship, aspects of the relationship itself, and aspects of the environment in which the relationship is embedded. Although each process is associated with the successful maintenance of relationship satisfaction in some contexts, each process is also associated with various personal and interpersonal costs to the extent that it operates in other contexts. Accordingly, we argue that maximizing the benefits of any cognitive relationship maintenance strategy requires a nuanced approach to its investigation.

Keywords

relationship maintenanceattributionsforgivenessgratitudecontextrelationship satisfactionromantic relationships
Type
Chapter
Information
Relationship Maintenance
Theory, Process, and Context
 , pp. 134 - 151
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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