Relationships are an integral part of human life. They can bring joy, happiness, fulfillment, and a sense of belonging to individuals who form them.
They also come with challenges that test their resilience. High-stress contexts such as breakups, divorces, job losses, deaths, and health issues put relationships under tremendous pressure, making it difficult for partners to stay together. This paper examines how personality, prior experience, and coping strategies affect relational resilience in high-stress contexts.
Personality traits refer to innate characteristics that define people's behaviors, thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and interactions with others. These traits influence how individuals respond to stressors, including relationship problems.
Extraversion is linked to positive outcomes such as social support, empathy, and resiliency during times of distress. On the other hand, introverts may retreat into themselves when faced with difficulties, reducing the chances of maintaining close bonds with partners. Therefore, extroverted personalities tend to have higher levels of relational resilience than introverted ones.
Prior experiences shape individuals' response to stressors, especially those related to relationships. Individuals who have been in long-term relationships are more likely to weather the storm because they know what to expect from each other. New couples face many uncertainties that make it hard to cope, leading to frequent disagreements, misunderstandings, and conflict. In addition, past relationships can impact present ones; for example, if one partner was cheated on before, they may be less trusting or more suspicious, affecting their current bond. Thus, previous relationship history plays a role in relational resilience in high-stress contexts.
Coping strategies refer to methods individuals use to manage challenges, including relationship problems. Some approaches include active problem-solving, seeking support, avoidance, denial, acceptance, and compromise. Active problem-solving involves identifying issues, discussing them openly, and developing solutions together, while avoidance entails ignoring or avoiding conflicts. Denial involves refusing to acknowledge the existence of the issue, while acceptance focuses on finding meaning in difficult circumstances. Compromising involves reaching a middle ground that satisfies both parties. Research shows that active problem-solving is effective for building resilient relationships, while denial, avoidance, and passive coping strategies negatively impact resilience.
Personality traits, prior experiences, and coping strategies affect relational resilience in high-stress contexts. Extroverts tend to be more resilient due to their ability to seek support and engage with others, while introverts struggle with social withdrawal during stressful times. Past relationship histories shape present bonds, making new partnerships riskier.
Active problem-solving improves resilience by facilitating communication and collaboration between partners. Understanding these factors can help couples build healthy relationships despite adversity.
How do personality, prior experience, and coping strategies affect relational resilience in high-stress contexts?
Prior research has shown that personality traits such as openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and emotional stability play an important role in how individuals cope with stressors. Additionally, coping strategies such as active problem-solving and positive reappraisal can help individuals manage stressful situations effectively.