Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 23, 2025
07:06
Chronic Social Defeat Stress in Early Adolescent Male Mice
Published on: January 24, 2025
977
Friendship loss and dissolution in adulthood: A conceptual model
Grace Vieth1, Alexander J Rothman1, Jeffry A Simpson1
1University of Minnesota, USA.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|August 17, 2021
Summary
Adult friendships end for various reasons, influenced by situational, personal, and interpersonal factors. This study proposes a model for understanding friendship dissolution processes and their emotional consequences.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Science
Background:
- Adult friendships are crucial social relationships.
- Limited research exists on the processes, causes, and effects of friendship endings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a process model for adult friendship dissolution.
- To examine situational, personal, and interpersonal variables influencing dissolution routes (active vs. passive).
- To discuss intervening variables and the emotional toll of different dissolution paths.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual model development based on existing literature.
- Review of theories on relationship dissolution.
- Exploration of potential intervening variables.
Main Results:
- Friendship endings are influenced by a combination of situational, personal, and interpersonal factors.
- Friendships can dissolve through active or passive routes.
- The path of dissolution may impact the emotional consequences.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive model is needed to understand adult friendship dissolution.
- Further research should investigate the proposed variables and emotional outcomes.
- Understanding these processes can help in navigating relationship endings.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Friendships and Close Friendships
35
Friendship formation is a dynamic process shaped by psychological, cultural, and social factors. Friendships play a crucial role in emotional well-being, social development, and personal identity from childhood to adulthood.Childhood and Early FriendshipsFriendships in childhood often arise due to shared environments, such as school or neighborhood interactions. At this stage, proximity and common interests serve as the primary basis for connection. As children grow, their friendships evolve...
35
01:28Ending Relationships
31
The dissolution of intimate relationships presents complex emotional and psychological challenges, particularly when emotional bonds are strong, the relationship is long-standing, and perceived alternatives are limited. This distress often intensifies in romantic breakups, where the initiator may experience greater turmoil than the rejected partner. Contributing factors include residual attachment, guilt over causing pain, and uncertainty about how to manage the situation. The stress is further...
31
01:27Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
399
Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development outlines a series of stages through which individuals progress across the lifespan. Each stage involves a psychosocial conflict that significantly influences personal growth and well-being. Three key stages — intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair — highlight the developmental challenges faced in adulthood.
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
399
03:34Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
46.0K
Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.
46.0K
01:27Relationship Growth
42
Interpersonal relationships progress through stages, beginning with awareness and moving toward mutuality, where emotional connections deepen. While many relationships remain at moderate levels of mutuality, deeper connections form through self-disclosure, trust, and interdependence.Self-DisclosureSelf-disclosure involves revealing personal information, starting with surface-level details and gradually progressing to more intimate content. As trust grows, individuals feel more comfortable...
42
01:17Bonanno's Theory of Grieving
283
Grieving is a complex psychological and emotional process that varies significantly among individuals. George Bonanno's research on bereavement identified four distinct patterns of grieving, offering a nuanced understanding of how people cope with significant loss, such as the death of a spouse, over extended periods. These patterns — resilience, recovery, chronic dysfunction, and delayed grief — highlight the diversity in emotional responses and adaptive mechanisms.
Resilience
Resilience
283