ABSTRACT
Breakups do not always mean the end of a romantic relationship. Ex-partners often remain in contact for practical reasons (e.g., they work together, have children), they redefine their relationship into a friendship, and sometimes they reconcile their romantic relationship. This entry reviews the research on on-again/off-again dating relationships (also termed cyclical relationships). Although personality characteristics or relationship dispositions do not differentiate which couples develop a cyclical nature in their relationships and which do not, the evidence suggests they do differ in their interaction dynamics. On-off partners are more likely to report less positive and more negative (e.g., conflict) interactions. They are also more likely to report psychological and physical aggression. They also experience less satisfaction and more relational uncertainty than their non-cyclical counterparts. In post-dissolution phases, however, ex-partners in cyclical relationships have greater sexual satisfaction and more ambivalence about their relationship, which might help explain their repeated reconciliations. Yet, despite on-off partners reporting lower relational quality in general, there are some partners who capitalise on the transitions to improve the relationships. Additionally, the seemingly unstable fluctuations in these relationships might actually denote a stable pattern for some partners.
