ABSTRACT
Prior to the 1990s, romantic relationship research was primarily concerned with initial interaction and dissolution processes. Responding to Duck’s (1988) edict that we spend more time maintaining rather than developing or dissolving relationships, Laura Stafford and Daniel Canary initiated a program of study on relational maintenance. Their work identified various relational maintenance strategies that people employ to sustain their ongoing relationships (Canary & Stafford, 1992; Stafford & Canary, 1991). Rooted in the claim that communication serves a central role in how people relate to one another, a belief that equity theory influences relational choices, and the underlying assumption that people are motivated to maintain equitable relationships, Stafford and Canary (1991) developed the Relational Maintenance Strategies Measure (RMSM). They defined relational maintenance as “communication . . . people use to sustain desired relational definitions” (Canary & Stafford, 1992, p. 243). Operating from a dyadic level perspective, they highlight the value of investigating relational maintenance from the perspective of both the communicator and his/her partner.
