WORKING TOWARDS A MODEL OF NORMATIVE BEHAVIOR FOR LONG-TERM COMMITTED RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract We propose that one area of great importance, which has remained virtually unexamined by evolutionary psychologists, is how individuals maintain their long-term romantic relationships during difficult times. Of those Canadians who marry, the majority remain so until their 30 th anniversary, and thus demonstrate the possession of effective techniques for dealing with difficulties and consequently, continuing the relationship. What is interesting is that the field is dominated by studies of issues that represent only small segments of the population (e.g., the behaviour of those who are single or seeking an alternative mate) and often in a specific and unreached stage of a romantic relationship (e.g., mate poaching or dissolution). The danger in the field having such limited focus is that it could lead to a view of committed relationships based on what is "abnormal" as opposed to what is "normal." We follow our theoretical review with an exploratory study on relationship maintenance, as a first step in the investigation of this overlooked area