Relationship maintenance versus relationship change: A dialectical dilemma

Abstract

The dialectical assumption that change is at the heart of social processes contradicts the emphasis on stability and consistency that exists in most conceptualizations of relationship maintenance. After an elaborated description of the major tenets of dialectical thinking, this article explores ways of transcending this contradiction, thereby advancing a reconceptualization of maintenance processes and an expanded agenda for research on the issue. © 1993, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.