Do you ever wonder why some relationships have staying power while others seem doomed to fail? Psychology can actually predict where your relationship is headed, as detailed in a scientific paper titled Pathways of Commitment to Wed: The Development and Dissolution of Romantic Relationships. Researchers found that relationships fall into one of four categories and within the most populated of the categories (34% of relationships) are the couples most prone to breakups.

As highlighted by Business Insider, the study assessed nearly 400 heterosexual unmarried couples between ages 19 and 35, interviewing them over the course of nine months and asking how likely it was the participants would marry their partners. The four commitment patterns arose. First, partner-focused commitments were when the participants’ likelihood of getting married increased with positive developments in the relationship, showing forward progression. Socially-involved commitments found participants’ reasons changed due to an outside social involvement, such as their mom approving or disapproving, but showed relatively few dips in levels of commitment. Conflict-ridden commitments were relationships affected by conflicts and that became stuck in the same stage without advancement or regression. This category is related to the final and most dangerous category—dramatic commitments—and the only real difference is how couples were able to handle conflict.

Relationships that were dramatic commitments were characterized by significant downturns in their level of commitment. “Dramatic commitments appear to have a relatively turbulent progression toward commitment that is riddled with negative views of the relationship,” the study notes. These individuals were also more likely to spend time with separate friend groups The chances of these relationships ending in a breakup over the course of the study was about double to any other group. By Domaine. Head to the comments to weigh in on these findings.

xxxxxxx,

Janice