Balancing Relationships
What Happens When Your Friends and Romantic Partners Do Not Get Along
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5604422 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sydney G Wick (0000-0003-3432-9587, Department of Psychology University of Mississippi Oxford Mississippi USA), Mackenzie Paul (0000-0001-5103-7899, Department of Psychology Mississippi State University Starkville Mississippi USA), H Colleen Sinclair (0000-0002-5921-595X, Department of Psychology Mississippi State University Starkville Mississippi USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Personal Relationships (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-4126 • E-ISSN: 1475-6811 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/pere.70039 |
| OpenAlex | W4415445561 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 37 |
Research has extensively examined how social network opinions (approval or disapproval from friends) affect romantic relationships. Friends are not the only ones to have opinions, yet there has been less exploration into whether one's friendship is influenced by opinions of the romantic partner. Balance theory suggests that individuals seek congruent attitudes within triads. Thus, this research (total N = 439) proposes that just as friend opinions (of romantic partner) impact romantic relationships, partner opinions (of friend) influence friendships. In Study 1, participants reported perceptions of a chosen friend's opinion of their partner and the partner's opinion of this friend. In Study 2, we manipulated opinion source and type using vignettes, assessing the hypothetical quality of relationships. Consistent with past research, friend disapproval was associated with lower romantic relationship quality. Uniquely, we found that perceived partner opinions-but not hypothetical ones-predicted friendship outcomes. Whereas friends' opinions did not appear to impact the friendship, partner opinion predicted romantic relationship satisfaction-revealing a potential social opinion backlash effect, whereby partners voicing disapproval of friends not only harm the friendship but also the romantic relationship. Findings suggest a bidirectional influence within networks for partners and friends, with expressing disapproval carrying added costs for romantic partners
Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Family Dynamics and Relationships
A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
G*Power 3
Attitudes and Cognitive Organization
The psychology of interpersonal relations.
Young people's use of friends and family for sex and relationships information and advice
Predicting nonmarital romantic relationship dissolution
Back off
The Investment Model Scale
Perceived parent and friend support for romantic relationships in emerging adults
Turning inward versus outward
Perceived versus reported social referent approval and romantic relationship commitment and persistence
Triadic balance in the brain
Relational maintenance strategies and equity in marriage
Use of Social Support
Breaking Up (With a Friend) Is Hard to Do
The Dissolution of Intimate Relationships
Don’t Tell Me Who I Can’t Love
Balance and Change in the Two-Person Group
Revisiting the Romeo and Juliet Effect
Performing friendship in a lab setting
Walking hand in hand
I Love You, Not Your Friends
The Influence of Parents and Friends on the Quality and Stability of Romantic Relationships
No Couple Is an Island
What if they are right? Network approval, expectations, and relationship maintenance behaviors
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |