Change in Romantic Relationships over Time

Romantic relationships develop and change over time. Indeed, romantic relationships have been conceptualized to follow developmental trajectories. In the 1950s, a single developmental tra jectory would have captured a majority of the pathways that romantic relationships followed and would have been characterized by dating, engagement, [Page 204]and subsequent marriage. More than halfway through the first decade of the 21st century, this trajectory can take more diverse forms, and it would be difficult to define the most common trajectory because of the wide variety of types of romantic relationships. For instance, relationships still may develop through the traditional stages of dating, engagement, and marriage. But currently, the developmental trajectories of romantic relationships may be characterized by a period of casual sex in which the relationship may or may not be a formal dating relationship, followed by dating, visiting (defined as often spending the night together but maintaining two separate residences), cohabitation (defined as living together prior to marriage and maintaining no separate residence from partner), and perhaps subsequent engagement and marriage. Thus, the change in relationships over time is marked by two processes: first, the developmental progression of individual romantic relationships, and second, changes in romantic relationship partners (and thus romantic relationships) across the life course.

In this entry, the primary focus is on these processes over the individual life course, but changes are noted across historical time when relevant. The focus is also on heterosexual romantic relationships in the United States, though these processes occur and, in some instances, are changing across many cultures. The entry begins with a review of the dating and predating literatures, continuing with a discussion of cohabiting and marital relationships. The entry ends with a discussion of serial monogamy, or the process of individuals changing their partners over time.