1994 Volume 34 Issue 2 Pages 164-182
The present study examined exclusivity in heterosexual romantic relationships and its effects on the possibility of the maintenance of these relationships. More than others, romantic relationships are characterized by exclusivity, which establishes the boundary of a romantic group. This aspect of romantic relationships can be inferred from the manner in which people act toward the other, namely, the ritual acts which define the relationship as exclusive and proscribe extradyadic ties of the same kind. The nature of these rituals depends on the larger and the mini-culture peculiar to the dyad. From this perspective, exclusivity is reflected in the extent which individuals would accept their partner or themselves participating in extradyadic heterosexual relations. Hence, dyadic exclusivity can take one of four values: high-high, high-low, low-high, and low-low. A questionnaire was administered to one-hundred-thirty-six couples which allowed us to classify them into the above four types and to assess perceived dyadic stability. Exclusivity was found to have considerably less impact on stability for the male partner than for the female partner. Females regarded high exclusivity as indispensable, whereas males gave most weight to both partners agreeing about the proper degree of exclusivity. Agreement between partners about exclusivity, however, is relatively hard to occur after short acquaintance. These and other findings suggest that exclusivity is an important factor not only for explaining the cohesiveness of romantic dyads but also for understanding their development.
