Understanding Reasons Behind Remaining in Romantic Relationships Involving Manipulation and/or Betrayal

Abstract

Emotional development and identity formation are based on romantic relationships. Nevertheless, there are relationships where one is manipulated and betrayed and yet one continues to feel attachment. Although people are aware of the destructive relationships, they do not necessarily end these relations immediately. The paper is a qualitative research that aims to answer the question of whether people stay in their romantic relationships where there is manipulation and/or betrayal, and to address the needs and motives that drive them to stay. Ten participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). There were six themes as follows: intermittent reinforcement, hope for change, emotional attachment, validation and self-worth regulation, identity erosion, and psychological entrapment and associated subthemes were also found. Results indicate that the decision to stay is a multidimensional phenomenon that is influenced by cognitive hope, behavioural conditioning, attachment bonds and unmet emotional needs instead of ignorance itself. The research adds a lived-experience view to the knowledge of relational persistence in the domain of manipulation and betrayal.