Breaking Up in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

Using a unique sample of individuals who have and have not attended college, the present mixed-methods study examined narratives of 113 (47% women) emerging adults’ motivations for initiating breakups with romantic partners. Findings indicated that emerging adults’ motivations for ending their romantic relationships were largely due to their relationships and/or their romantic partners not fulfilling their needs for interdependence. Additionally, unmet intimacy, identity, and autonomy needs were the most frequently reported reasons for relationship termination, indicating that emerging adults consider both their need to be close with others and their need to follow their own paths for their careers and desires for family formation. This study also demonstrated links between perceptions of developmental tasks in emerging adulthood and motivations for ending romantic relationships. Those who end romantic relationships due to unfulfilled intimacy needs tend to be more relationally focused, and those who end romantic relationships due to unfulfilled autonomy or identity needs tend to view emerging adulthood as a time of experimentation/possibilities, feeling “in between,” and negativity/instability. Implications for the role of relationship dissolution in emerging adult development are discussed.

Keywords

romantic dissolution intimacy affiliation sexuality identity autonomy

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