Journal #5

You meet someone, you go out on a date, you fall madly in love and everything seems to be absolutely perfect. In many relationships that honeymoon stage lasts for short period of time. You become more comfortable with that person and you start being comfortable enough to disagree. Arguments come up more and more, and for many they believe this is the end of the relationship. Those who differ and still have that underlying love for one another and wish for nothing more than to repair and aid in the healing of the relationship, they generally use relational maintenance. “Relational maintenance refers to using communication and supportive behaviors to sustain a desired relationship status and level of satisfaction ” (McCornack and Morrison 304) 

My boyfriend and I have been in a relationship going on two years this coming June, we recently faced a large reoccurring argument that resulted in me throwing out a sudden-death statement and feeling as if all hope of our relationship being repaired was to be lost. He begged and pleaded that we work things out and of all things that made me feel like things could work, it was a Sunday. Every Sunday we played the Sims together to spend time together doing something mindlessly while not being stressed over school, or work and being able to having fun. This is a good example of a family ritual that also doubles as a relational maintenance as we often had conversations calmly about things that happened earlier that week. I realized that by talking to him I could make things better and maybe we could have a higher satisfaction in our relationship. We then had a long talk about everything that we both felt needed to be repaired in our relationship and we have worked out solutions to everything. Relational maintenance can make the difference in love keeping you together or splitting you up.