Psychology Topic: Mate Replaceability
Mate replaceability is defined as abandoning a partner who does not fit one’s mate preferences. Abandonment is predicated on a current partner’s mate value: high mate value or low mate value. Abandonment of a partner might be unproductive if an alternative is an even poorer fit.
QUESTION
Given the implication of the visual, what would be a reason(s) why you would replace a mate?
Mate replaceability is discussed within my book titled Toxic Encounters: Why People Pursue Rebound Relationships, Part I. I explore the concept using psychology scholarship.
Here are some research sources if you are further interested in the concept of mate replaceability. Some sources may require a subscription, but you should be able to locate a source using a keyword search such as “mate replaceability pdf.”
RESOURCES
Arnocky, S. (2018). Self-perceived mate value, facial attractiveness, and mate preferences: Do desirable men want it all? Evolutionary Psychology, 1-8. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1474704918763271
Buss, D. M., Goetz, C., Duntley, J. D., Asao, K., & Conroy-Beam, D. (2017). The mate switching hypothesis. Psychology and Individual Differences, 104, 143-149. Retrieved from http://carigoetz.com/docs/PAID_MateSwitchingHypothesis.pdf
Spielmann, Stephanie S., MacDonald, Geoff and Anne E. Wilson. “On the Rebound: Focusing on Someone New Helps Anxiously Attached Individuals Let Go of Ex-Partners.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. October 2009 35: 1382-1394. 22 Jul. 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
Starratt, V. G., & Shackelford, T. K. (2012). He said, she said: Men’s reports of mate value and mate retention behaviors in intimate relationships. Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 459-462. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886912001857
Visit https://reginayfavors.com/research/ and click the “Rebounding” tab to access video lessons and the full bibliography.
Regina Y. Favors 