Do Romantic Relationship Beliefs Matter? Emerging Adults’ Implicit Theories of Relationships and Conflict Resolution

As emerging adults navigate in and out of relationships, experiencing romantic conflict is inevitable. Emerging adults must develop effective conflict resolution skills, which may be influenced by their romantic beliefs. The present study builds on existing research by (a) examining the role of implicit theories of relationships (growth beliefs and destiny beliefs) on conflict resolution styles, (b) testing the incremental validity of these associations by accounting for demographic factors and well-established predictors of conflict resolution, and (c) exploring whether the interaction between growth and destiny beliefs predicts conflict resolution styles. Participants ( N = 191) completed a baseline survey and five daily surveys one week later. A series of longitudinal path-analysis models were conducted to explore our study aims. Findings demonstrated a positive association between growth beliefs and positive problem solving. These findings are important for understanding the impact of implicit theories of relationships on romantic relationship processes in emerging adulthood.