The nature and motivations of accounts for failed relationships

An account is like a story that contains a rich array of plots, characters, and patterns of interaction (Harvey et al. 1986). These stories were first referred to as accounts by Robert S. Weiss (1975) in his well-known work on marital separation. More recently, Harvey et al. have theorized that accounts are especially developed or disclosed surrounding the loss of close relationships. Accounts are believed to be important because they may help people make better sense of the loss of these relationships. They also help people to achieve a greater sense of psychological control regarding the loss, and they serve as a pathway for emotional release. Accounts develop over a period of time, are rehearsed and periodically elaborated, and probably stay with us to our graves, although we at times may forget portions of them which then recur in our thoughts when triggered by various stimuli.