About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about romance theories, focusing in particular on: (i) the limitation of theories of attraction regarding explanations for why individuals remain in long-term relationships, even as their characteristics of reproductive fitness diminish; (ii) social exchange theory as an economic explanation for relationship maintenance, based on gaining rewards and minimising costs; (iii) Thibaut and Kelley’s social interdependence theory; (iv) Clark and Mills’ distinction between exchange and communal relationships; (v) equity theory and its differentiation from exchange relationships, by considering the ratio of cost and gain for each partner; (vi) Rusbult’s investment model, which considers relationship satisfaction, quality of alternatives and size of investment.

About the lecturer

Dr Veronica Lamarche is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex. Dr Lamarche’s research interests are focused on understanding how people regulate trust and dependence in their romantic relationships. Some of Dr Lamarche’s recent publications include 'It Happened to a Friend of Mine: The Influence of Perspective-Taking on the Acknowledgement of Sexual Assault Following Ambiguous Sexual Encounters' (2022) and 'Who will I be when I retire? The role of organizational commitment, group memberships and retirement transition framing on older worker’s anticipated identity change in retirement' (2022).