Memory structure theory is further discussed in terms of cognitive expectations for the rise and demise of romance. This chapter highlights the correspondence between emotion and information processing. The way we currently feel affects the stimuli that we attend to in forming impressions of how others feel. This chapter will discuss exciting research in intrapersonal communication in which expectancies for relationships may be generated through internal, self-talk with significant others. For example, a male may imagine arguing about the use of time with his girlfriend.
Conflict is imagined and kept alive in the mind of an individual.
Relationships are kept alive in our minds as we think about our relational partners. This chapter introduces the reader to the assumptions of stage models and reviews a number of popular models. The strengths and weaknesses of these models will be noted. Relational memory structure theory addresses these criticisms and represents an improvement over existing stage models because relationship expectancies and social cognition are key components of the stage concept rather than observable behavior. This chapter will review expectancies for the development of intimate relationships.