Romantic Breakup Distress, Betrayal and Heartbreak: A Review
Journal Title: International Journal of Behavioral Research & Psychology (IJBRP) - Year 2017, Vol 5, Issue 2
Abstract
A review of the romantic breakup literature suggests that it can lead to breakup distress, betrayal and heartbreak. The breakup distress that occurs can be explained in part by depression and feelings of rejection and betrayal. These may lead to physical problems including heartbreak or the broken heart syndrome and immune dysfunction. The broken heart syndrome has notably mimicked heart attacks, but it has been differentiated from a real heart attack by angiograms revealing unclogged arteries and no permanent heart damage. Reduced vagal activity and increased cortisol and catecholamine levels (dopamine and norepinephrine) accompanying heartbreak are thought to be potential underlying mechanisms for the broken heart syndrome and for immune dysfunction including increased inflammatory cytokines and reduced natural killer cells. fMRIs following breakups have revealed increased activity in the cingulate cortex and the right ventricular prefrontal cortex. These data highlight the complexity of breakup distress, betrayal and heartbreak and the need for multi-variable research. This narrative review involved a literature search on the terms romantic breakup distress, betrayal and heartbreak on PubMed and PsycInfo. For the selection process, the inclusion criteria were: published empirical studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Exclusion criteria included: non-English papers, case studies, under-powered samples, and non-juried papers. Following these screening criteria, the publications selected are briefly reviewed here.
Authors and Affiliations
Tiffany Field
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP249136
- DOI 10.19070/2332-3000-1700038
- Views 182
- Downloads 0
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): An Overview
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental disorder with psychological and emotional components, caused by exposure to single or repeated extreme traumatic events found in war, terrorist attacks, natural o...
Religious Orientation and Academic Stress Among University Students
The present study examined the extent to which religiosity, operationalized as intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation was related to academic stress in self-report measures among 100 (40 male and 60 female) studen...
Does Organizational Spirituality Predict Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Employees?
The main objective of this study is to examine whether organizational spirituality predicts emotional intelligence and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among the employees of Islamic Azad University of Chabahar...
A Case Study Tracking The Cognitive Impact Of Insomnia
A case study is used to illustrate cognitive factors related to poor sleep quality in a young adult. The participant was a healthy patient outside of his sleep disturbance. Changes in cognitive functioning were evaluated...
A Historical Sketch of Mental Health Services In Canada from the Nineteenth Century to Community Care
A Historical Sketch of Mental Health Services In Canada from the Nineteenth Century to Community Care