Reflections of memories on romantic relationships: An examination of partner acceptance/rejection and relationship satisfaction

The primary aim of this study is to examine the phenomenological characteristics of romantic relationship memories through positive (high-point) and negative (low-point) relationship memories and to test how these characteristics predict relationship satisfaction and levels of partner acceptance/rejection. Accordingly, 251 participants aged 18–65 years (M = 27.82, SD = 9.15) who have been in a romantic relationship for at least 12 months were included in the study. Of the participants, 78.5% (N=197) were women, and 21.5% (N=54) were men. To collect data, participants were first asked to describe their high-point and low-point relationship memories and expected to evaluate each memory through follow-up questions. Then, they completed the Relationship Satisfaction Scale, the Adult Attachment Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. To investigate the predictive effect of positive and negative memory characteristics on relationship satisfaction and acceptance/rejection variables, multiple regression analysis was conducted. Accordingly, the characteristics of high-point memories positively predicted relationship satisfaction and negatively predicted the acceptance/rejection variable. On the other hand, the characteristics of low-point memories predicted relationship satisfaction but did not predict the acceptance/rejection variable. The findings obtained from the study were discussed in light of the relevant literature.