Editing Intimate relationship (section)

==== Commitment ====
[[File:Edmund_Blair_Leighton_-_The_Wedding_Register.jpg|thumb|Marriage is a form of relationship maintenance that signals commitment between partners.]]
As a relationship develops, intimate partners often engage in commitment agreements, ceremonies, and behaviors to signal their intention to remain in the relationship.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Stanley |first1=Scott M. |last2=Rhoades |first2=Galena K. |last3=Whitton |first3=Sarah W. |date=2010 |title=Commitment: Functions, Formation, and the Securing of Romantic Attachment |journal=Journal of Family Theory & Review |language=en |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=243–257 |doi=10.1111/j.1756-2589.2010.00060.x |issn= |pmc= 3039217|pmid=21339829}}</ref> This might include moving in together, sharing responsibilities or property, and getting [[Marriage|married]]. These commitment markers increase relationship stability because they create physical, financial, and symbolic barriers and consequences to dissolving the relationship.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rollie |first1=Stephanie S. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wGZlAgAAQBAJ&dq=marriage+and+relationship+dissolution+barrier&pg=PA223 |title=Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution |last2=Duck |first2=Steve |date=2013 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-1-317-82421-3 |editor-last=Fine |editor-first=Mark A. |language=en |chapter=Divorce and Dissolution of Romantic Relationships: Stage Models and Their Limitations |editor-last2=Harvey |editor-first2=John H.}}</ref> In general, increases in relationship satisfaction and investment are associated with increased commitment.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rusbult |first=Caryl E |date=1980 |title=Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: A test of the investment model |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031%2880%2990007-4 |journal=Journal of Experimental Social Psychology |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=172–186 |doi=10.1016/0022-1031(80)90007-4 |s2cid=21707015 |issn=0022-1031|url-access=subscription }}</ref>