Their partners have proved to express dissatisfaction when concerning the evolution of their relationship, and, thus, they've shown that HRS has a great importance in breaking up a relationship. Conflicts are generally more damaging for HRS women than they are for HRS men, and, subsequent to a conflict, HRS women are affected much more than LRS women. Without having experienced a conflict, the behavior of HRS women does not differ greatly from that of LRS women.
Downey, Freitas, Michaelis, and Khouri have undertaken a research to find out if HRS people directly influence their romantic partners into acting so that the relationship would end. 53 couples have been part of a one year research. After one year 29% of the couples had broken up. The couples that eventually broke up showed signs of dissatisfaction concerning their relationship during the one-year period. People that aren't constantly satisfied with their relationship are less likely to have their relationships last al least one year.
In general, people with HRS can predict relationship problems between them and their romantic partners. The first part of the one year research has shown that conflicts are some of the main indicators that can point toward a relationship that has HRS problems. However, the study might have been affected by some external factors, and thus, the results are not considered to be reliable.
The second study devised by Downey, Freitas, Michaelis, and Khouri involved couples firstly tackling the dependability of the diaries that the couples had wrote, and, secondly, attempting to determine if HRS women would have a greater negative influence on their partners consequent to a conflict. After having received the results, researchers found out that HRS men did not have a greater negative influence on their partners than the LRS men had....
In contrast, HRS women have been reported to have a much worse impact on their partners subsequent to a conflict than LRS women have. During a conflict HRS women had a more negativist behavior than LRS women had, and, as a result, their partners had been entitled to express more anger.
The results of the studies have proved that women are generally more vulnerable to HRS and to the leading to the break-up of the relationship between them and their romantic partners. As the conflicts had been discussed, HRS women have put forward their negativity and helped explain the anger that their partners felt after the conflicts.
When HRS women or men did not have any conflicts in their relationships, the effects of HRS were not seen and relationships did not experience any significant changes.
There are several reasonable motives for which HRS women have influenced their romantic partners in ending their relationship. One of the most likely reasons is that once they believe that their partners would reject and abandon them, women tend to make preparations for the occurrence. Also, they are expected to help in ending the relationship or even end it themselves in hope that they would escape the suffering faster. Another reason for why relationships where HRS is involved are likely to end is that HRS people tend to pick someone that they are sure would reject them as a partner. Even with their confidence that the relationship would shortly end, they struggle to keep it going albeit tension is felt across the period that the relationships last.
Works Cited
Downey Geraldine, Freitas Antonio L., Michaelis Benjamin, Khouri Hala. (1998). "The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Close Relationships: Rejection Sensitivity and Rejection by Romantic Partners." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 75 (2)
