Impulsivity and the Dissolution of Romantic Relationships

The primary aim of this study was to examine whether impulsivity is related to emerging adults’ motivations for breaking up with romantic partners. Previous findings indicate that emerging adults (ages 18-25) tend to base their decision-making on the fulfillment of their needs for independence and/or interdependence. The present study included 113 emerging adults who reported the reasons why they decided to end a romantic relationship in the past six months. These responses were coded for the presence of independence and interdependence motivations. The UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale measured five facets of impulsivity: negative urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, sensation seeking, and positive urgency. T-tests were conducted to determine whether the various facets of impulsivity varied according to the motivations for breaking up. Results showed that emerging adults who referenced interdependence needs tended to score higher on negative urgency and positive urgency compared to those who did not reference interdependence needs. However, there were no differences in impulsivity between those who did and did not reference independence needs. Implications of these findings will be discussed.