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The Impact of Family of Origin on Romantic Relationships: A Psychological Perspective
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Abstract
This review examines the influence of diverse family of origin factors on adult romantic relationships, concentrating on critical elements such as attachment styles, communication patterns, conflict resolution, family cohesion, family structure, and self-differentiation and self-regulation formed by early family experiences. Existing research reveals that early family dynamics significantly affect individuals' behaviours, beliefs, and satisfaction in romantic relationships during adulthood. The paper consolidates empirical findings from multiple studies, accentuating the role of secure and insecure attachment styles in determining romantic relationship satisfaction. It also investigates how family functions, specifically communication patterns, conflict management, and family cohesion, influence relationship outcomes. Additionally, the review highlights the degrees of self-differentiation and self-regulation influence the quality of intimate relationships. Psychological frameworks including attachment theory, family systems theory, and social learning theory offer the primary perspectives for comprehending these influences. The review also recognises critical deficiencies in the literature, including the requirement for more longitudinal studies and cross-cultural social class and gender comparisons. Overall, Individuals who grow up in nurturing, positive family environments with good parent-child interactions tend to have higher quality and more satisfying romantic relationships in adulthood. Studying on the impact of family of origin on romantic relationships can assist society in resolving family emotional conflicts and fostering harmony, it can likewise enrich the theoretical framework of family and emotional-related research in the academic field.
Keywords
family of origin, romantic relationship, attachment style, family systems
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Cite this article
Zhou,Z. (2025). The Impact of Family of Origin on Romantic Relationships: A Psychological Perspective. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,81,70-78.
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