Investment Model Flashcards
Satisfaction
Rusbult argues that satisfaction occurs when each partner sees large profits (i.e. rewards and costs) and that there are fewer
plausible or profitable alternatives, in which they can invest their resources.
Comparison with alternatives
If one partner feels that their profits are decreasing, such as through costs increasing throughout the course of the relationship (e.g. abuse, cheating) then they shall start looking for alternative relationships or even consider having no relationship at all.
Investment
Can be intrinsic (intangible) - money, time, energy OR extrinsic (tangible) - mortgage, children, expectations from others. The size of the investment dictates how hard each partner will work to salvage their relationship, and thus demonstrate commitment.
Commitment
From an economic viewpoint, this commitment is almost selfish
in that it is carried out purely not to lose the investment. Rusbult suggested that there are mechanisms which facilitate commitment: ridiculing alternatives, positive illusions, forgiveness,
willingness to sacrifice and accommodation.
+ P - High ecological validity as it can explain abusive relationships
E - Rusbult and Martz found that the
predictions based off of Rusbult’s model can explain why ‘battered women’ often return to their abusive partners.
E - explained this in terms of making significant investments and having few
alternative partners, rather than satisfaction (which is obviously not present in an abusive relationship, featuring intimate partner violence, for both partners).
L - Therefore, this shift of focus may be considered refreshing and a more valid explanation of abusive relationships compared to SET orequity theory.
+ P - Rusbult’s model doesn’t lack objectivity even though it used self-report measures
E - The key elements of his model focus on an individual’s perception of their investments, resources and energy, as opposed to a quantitative value.
E - This makes sense and has high ecological validity when considering that an individual’s perception of their investments is often different to their partner’s perception in the instance of relationship breakdown.
L - Therefore, Rusbult’s investment model has used the correct methodology to accurately reflect the subjective nature of the model’s features.
- P - Oversimplified.
E - Goodfriend and Agnew suggested that the motivation to see a couple’s future plans come to fruition may be a bigger
predictor of relationship success.
E - This is as as opposed to initial investments which are often very low in the early stages of romantic relationships.
L - Therefore, Rusbult’s model may have oversimplified the concept of investment and its future implications on the plans that couples make together.
