The Breaking of Bonds: A Systematized Review of Detachment in Interpersonal and Customer Relationships.

This study reviews the concept of detachment in interpersonal relationships by examining its drivers and outcomes laying the foundation for detachment to potentially be extended to customer-employee relationships. Information from several studies in the fields of psychology and marketing was used to identify and categorize the drivers and outcomes of detachment. Using various search platforms, a total of 75 articles were deemed appropriate for this study and were thus included in the review. The results from this review provide a condensed list of preexisting and potential drivers and outcomes for detachment, each of which, were assigned to broader categories based on similarities and other relevant factors. Similarities were also drawn between detachment in adult interpersonal and customer-attachment figure relationships to solidify detachment's extension to customer-employee relationships. This study contributes to theory by being among the first to provide a summarized list of potential drivers and outcomes of detachment within a single paper, thereby advancing the existing knowledge of detachment. The results of this review may also be of particular importance to psychologists and marketing managers as it provides a comprehensive discussion of how detachment could occur in both interpersonal and customer-employee relationships and the possible consequences thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]