Medical research for relataionship

There’s no question that romantic breakups can be really hard.  Research has revealed that experiencing a breakup has several unique effects on our sense of self or self-concept (i.e., everything that makes us who we are) as well. For example, research has demonstrated that, after a breakup, people feel that their self-concept is smaller than it was before the breakup; in other words, they feel like their self-concept has diminished somewhat.¹ This makes sense, since over time people tend to incorporate their romantic partner into their self-concept, meaning that their individual identities begin to merge. In the wake of a breakup, then, the self-concept may feel reduced or contracted because there used to be another person involved in it (e.g., part of “me” used to include being a loving partner to a specific person, and now that part is gone).
Not only that, but breakups seem to influence our self-concept clarity (the degree to which we have a clear sense of who we are). In a series of three studies, Erica Slotter and her colleagues found that, after imagining or actually experiencing a breakup, people experienced a reduction of self-concept clarity. This hit to self-concept clarity was associated with a desire to change things about themselves or their routines (e.g., cutting or coloring their hair to help “redefine” themselves, changing activities they engage in, etc.). Reduced self-concept clarity following a breakup also predicted the emotional distress people felt.² Thus, breakups seem to make people feel a bit confused about who they are, and this may (a) motivate them to establish a new “me” that doesn’t rely on the former “us,” and (b) help explain why they get so upset and distressed when their relationship ends.