Psychology

People do not end relationships that have deteriorated beyond repair for many reasons.
Dysfunctional and abusive relationships can last for years simply because one or both of the partners are lonely, scared, or have a hope the problem will sort itself out, jealousy and possessiveness or simply because the relationship has become a habit that seems to difficult to break.
Breaking up a problematic relationship can be difficult, firstly because of loneliness, the factor in this, is that most relationships begin because of loneliness and eventually cannot end because of it. The people in the relationship are being used and depended on for the simple fact that one or both of the partners have a fear of being alone.
 
Loneliness and solitude (being alone) are not synonymous. Loneliness is a state of painful isolation, of feeling cut of from others. Solitude can be quite positive. Inner-directed solitude can be characterized by self discovery and inner peace
Page 238 Chapter Relationships and communication

There may be a fear that a break-up can result in loneliness, there may be a fear that they will not be able to find another partner if their current partner leaves. The abstract idea of being alone is sometimes far scarier than the situation of the relationship.

Additionally being scared or frightened of your partner can decrease a break-up from occurring. An abusive relationship whether it is mental, physical, or sexually can result in the victim of the relationship scared to break up with the other, because of the consequences that may occur afterwards.
For the bully in the relationship heshe may be jealous, obsessed, manipulative or disrespecting towards their partner-this then results in fear on the victims side.
   
The victims fear is that the lost partner may try to re-establish the relationship and to be angry and vengeful
Page 335 The ABC(DE)s of romantic relationships

Another simple factor that may stop a break up from occurring between two people is purely because there may be a feeling-possibly on both sides of the relationship- that the occurring problems will sort themselves out and simply pass as time goes by.

Perhaps the most commonly used and least effective solution to problems in relationships is to ignore them and hope they go away
Dealing with Break-ups-column in Womens Weekly

The most common factor that a dysfunctional relationship cannot be broken is because the habit of the relationship cannot be broken. A habit of any kind can be extremely hard to be broken and the longer amount of time it carrier on for, the harder it gets. A habit within a relationship may not only be the factors of the relationship keeping two people together but the partner in question itself.

Dysfunctional, deteriorating, abusive relationships are hard to break away from. There are nine main signposts that indicate a partner should end their relationship.

Addictive and obsessive attitude-When one of the partners develops an addictive or possessive attitude.
An imbalance of power- When one partner feels they are working much harder at making the relationship work.

Tensions show up regularly- Little things that cause tension are always present. These may be related to money, friends, love, work, sex or anything else.

Feeling cornered- In such relationships, either of the partners can get a feeling or being trapped or cornered into a situation that heshe would not like to have got into in the first place. If this feeling keeps reoccurring and is not a one off incident then it shows there is something wrong in the relationship.
Inferioritysuperiority complex-If any one of the partners in a relationship begins developing an inferioritysuperiority complex, then there is something wrong. Relationships should be based on equality and trust.

The feeling of frustration- Every relationship has little frustrations, but when they persist and just keep cropping up as soon as one goes away or is dealt with then something is certainly wrong.

Constant unhappiness- Are you happy This is a fundamental question that needs to be answered. If you are constantly unhappy or bogged down, because there is a nagging doubt that something is not going right, it is time to evaluate the situation. This can happen when you just cannot reconcile your desires, you feelings and your needs with your partners and neither can heshe with yours.

Being unsure and insecure- You are so unsure of yourself that you hesitate to do things, thinking about what to do because it might end up causing a rift in your relationship. In other words, when you go from being spontaneous to overcautious about doing things you like to do. Being unsure brings with it a feeling of insecurity and that is another sign to watch out for.

Emotional blocks- Fear, jealousy, non-involvement, suspicion and an uncaring attitude are all the usual suspects. If there is a continuity in any of these behavioural traits, then your relationship is on its way to being past history.

If you are stuck between whether ending your relationship or not, then you are really in deep trouble. As you can see, the decision is too tough to take. Emotions come in play when you have been with the person for many years. Saying goodbye feels like hell but remember to decide when to end a relationship is important for both of you.

Overall there are many warning signs of a dysfunctional relationship, there are also many reasons why one of the partners cannot break up the relationship which is far beyond help.

Therefore advice to anyone in the early stages of noticing a dysfunctional relationship forming, or in the late stages and waiting for the right moment to break up with their partner, should take preventive measures immediately and address the situation. A Band-aid measure is no solution, not for a long-term relationship.