ABSTRACT
People have an innate need to belong to, connect with, and affiliate with others through interpersonal relationships with family, close friends, and intimate partners (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Interpersonal relationships, however, can be a mixed blessing. On one hand, research shows that involvement in mutually satisfying relational exchanges is vital for emotional, mental, and physical well-being (Baumeister & Leary; House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988; Reis, Collins, & Berscheid, 2000). On the other hand, relational exchanges can be conflicted, stressful, disappointing, threatening, abusive, and even dangerous, resulting in reduced and sometimes even compromised well-being (Finch & Zautra, 1992; Krause & Jay, 1991; Rook, 1998).
