maintenance of close relationships. I will be looking into whether the findings from the

investigation can help to improve relationships. To be able to do this I will be looking at

the findings given by the psychologists and explain how people could use them to

maintain their own relationships. I will be taking references from Pennington et al and

extracts of D. Miell and R. Dallos (1996).

The psychologists who carried out the investigation into the development and

maintenance of close relationships, did so because they wanted to make psychology

more relevant to everyone, for example, the feelings of love and sadness, of fear and

“’Relationships have always been at the heart of the humanistic approach. I

believe that it is important for psychology to acknowledge the human capacity for agency

and therefore the relative " openness" of the human condition: that people and

relationships are not pre - ordained but are capable of self - directed change. I applaud

the goal of humanistic psychology here - not just to seek understanding but to provide

Individuals may put high expectations on a new relationship which can put strain on

both individuals concerned. Thibaut and Kelly call this the comparison level, if this level

which would make a relationship very unstable leading to a break up, causing the

may be due to past experiences in past relationships or due to childhood experiences

In conclusion the research carried out in the psychologists investigation has shown there are a number of ways to develop a relationship, the attraction between two individuals with a balance of both positive and negative feelings towards each other are essential for a healthy close relationship. The social exchange theory showed that relationships are built and maintained in a business – like way as Thibaut and Kelley (1959) proposed. People examine the cost benefit factor before commiting themselves into a close relationship.

Some topics in this essay:
Miell Dallos, Kobak Hazan, Thibaut Kelly, Thibaut Kelley, , Altman Taylor, et al, et al 1999, pennington et al, pennington et, al 1999, social exchange, exchange theory, social exchange theory, close relationship, negative feelings, development maintenance, close relationships, maintenance close relationships, maintenance close, development maintenance close,