Paper Summary:

This paper relates that one of the most enduring questions regarding life, love, and the perpetuation of the growth of the individual through developed interpersonal communication, is whether or not there can be friendship after a romantic relationship has ended. This paper asserts that popular contemporary opinion, as well as anecdotal evidence, has a mixed answer. One side says a couple can never go from being lovers to friends and it's unhealthy to try. While still others say that becoming friends is the only realistic way to recover, in the long term and learn from what went right wrong in the relationship. However, the paper shows that there is also a popular idea that becoming friends after a breakup just depends on the individuals involved, the depth of the relationship, and the manner in which the relationship ended. This work reviews five scholarly research articles seeking out definitive qualitative and quantitative evidence for the answer to this question.

From the Paper:

"The findings of the article lead some credence to the idea that the individual's level of distress post break-up and the eventuality of the relationship ending in the two people being friends has significant correlation to the length of time since the break-up, the level of health in the relationship, the perception of individual investment in the relationship and most importantly whether the two individuals were friends before they became romantically involved. The hints then that this work offer to the broader question is then relatively easy to assess, the most important factors in order are, if the individuals were friends before the romantic involvement, the time it has been since the relationship ended, and lastly the level of overall health and satisfaction that existed in the relationship while it was still intact. (Sprecher, Felmlee, Metts, Fehr & Vanni 791-809) The equation is then rather simple, if there is a basis for friendship, a healthy overall relationship and if enough time has passed there is a good chance that a post-relationship friendship will develop that could potentially lead to a lasting social development phase that helps both parties navigate the rights and wrongs of the relationship and possibly change themselves for the better, for the next relationship. The equation is the opposite, if it is to soon emotionally, the relationship was overall unhealthy and lastly if the two people have little if any basis for a friendship in the history of their time together then a friendship will not likely be even worth attempting. (Sprecher, Felmlee, Metts, Fehr & Vanni 791-809)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bachman, Guy Foster & Laura K. Guerrero. "Relational Quality and Communicative Responses Following Hurtful Events in Dating Relationships: An Expectancy Violations Analysis." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 23.6 (2006) 943-954.
• Grover, Rachel L., and Douglas W. Nangle. "Adolescent Perceptions of Problematic Heterosocial Situations: A Focus Group Study." Journal of Youth and Adolescence 32.2 (2003): 129.
• Hendrick, Susan S. Clyde Hendrick "Measuring Respect in Close Relationships." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 23.6 (2006) 881-899.
• Richardson, Stacey, and Marita P. Mccabe. "Parental Divorce during Adolescence and Adjustment in Early Adulthood." Adolescence 36.143 (2001): 467.
• Sprecher, Susan, Diane Felmlee, Sandra Metts, Beverly Fehr & Debra Vanni. "Factors Associated With Distress Following the Breakup of a Close Relationship." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 15.6 (1998) 791-809.

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