Remembering relationship development: constructing a context for interactions

Over the course of a relationship’s development, new information about both the partner and the relationship is continually being acquired; thus the store of information and beliefs that comprise the relational history will need to be updated and possibly amended if the individual is to maintain a coherent and accurate context against which later events can be interpreted. This chapter reports a study that examines part of this process of building up a unique relational context by investigating the gradual evolution of the personal history of a relationship during the early stages of its development.