Fights and Forgiveness - Inside Relationship Maintenance

By Heather Martyn -- 11/23/08 First meeting, fireworks fly, next thing you know you have fallen in love and are in a relationship.  Then problems begin, arguments start and regardless of the type of relationship you are in, maintenance and communication must occur in order to assure your "happily ever after."  Whether you are in a long-term, an off-again-on-again, or are still in the beginning of a new relationship, problems are difficult to avoid. 

The panel titled "And so They Lived (Happily) Ever After?  Relationship Maintenance in Various Types of Relationships," discussed various research conducted on problems that arise in relationships and the process of forgiveness.  Panelists focused on the various types mediums in which relationships can occur, with some focus on Internet dating and college relationships.

The paper titled, "Love Styles and Communication in Romantic Relationships:  maintenance, Trait and Episodic Willingness to Forgive, and Communication of Forgiveness" looked at love styles and relationship maintenance as it pertains to forgiveness, most specifically in college settings.  Overall, this was a very interesting panel, as it allowed for a different view on relationships and problems that are bound to occur.  It takes communication styles and places them into more distinct categories so as to break down relationship maintenance into a more understandable topic.