Why do some people maintain stable feelings of commitment toward their partners, whereas others’ feelings wax and wane from day to day? The current article draws insight from decision conflict research suggesting that individuals torn between decision options are particularly susceptible to attitude change. In three samples, we validated a stay/leave ambivalence scale to capture internal conflict about whether to remain in versus exit a relationship. In two dyadic daily experience studies, individuals who felt more ambivalent about their relationships experienced greater daily fluctuation in commitment and breakup contemplation compared to less ambivalent individuals. Ambivalent individuals’ relationship intentions were also more strongly tied to their daily experiences, such that they felt more motivated to stay on days with greater relationship positivity, and more motivated to leave on days with greater relationship negativity. We discuss implications of these results for ambivalent individuals, their partners, and our understanding of stay/leave decision processes.

中文翻译：

---

一只脚走出门外：留下/离开的矛盾心理预示着结束关系的承诺和意图的日常波动

为什么有些人对他们的伴侣保持稳定的承诺感，而另一些人的感觉却日新月异？当前文章从决策冲突研究中汲取见解，表明在决策选项之间左右为难的个人特别容易受到态度改变的影响。在三个样本中，我们验证了停留/离开的矛盾心理规模来捕捉关于是否继续保持与退出关系的内部冲突。在两项日常体验研究中，与不那么矛盾的个体相比，对自己的关系感到更加矛盾的个体在承诺和分手考虑方面经历了更大的每日波动。矛盾个体的关系意图也与他们的日常经历更紧密地联系在一起，因此他们更有动力在关系积极性更高的日子里留下来，而在关系消极性更高的日子里，他们更有动力离开。我们讨论了这些结果对矛盾个体、他们的伴侣的影响，以及我们对留下/离开决策过程的理解。