LS7 - Rusbult's Investment Model Flashcards
Investment Model
Rusbult suggested commitment is a key factor and depends on satisfaction, comparison with alternative and better investment.
Effect Of Alternatives/Investment
Better alternatives leads to less satisfaction whilst investment discourages you to leave a relationship.
2 Types Of Investment
Intrinsic
Extrinsic
Intrinsic Investment
When resources are directly put into a relationship e.g. emotion and effort.
Extrinsic Investment
Resources arising out of a relationship e.g. children and mutual friends.
Strengths (+)
Van Langge
Commitment In A Variety Of Relationships
Explains Infidelity
Explains Abusive Relationships
Weaknesses (-)
Difficult To Measure
Gender Differences
Cultural Validity (+)
Van Langge - Studied students from Taiwan and the Netherlands, and found high commitment levels meant high satisfaction, low quality of alternative and high investment
Commitment In A Variety Of Relationships (+)
Rusbult gave investment model questionnaires to homosexuals and found a strong link between factors of the investment model were linked to commitment.
Explains Infidelity (+)
Low satisfaction and high quality of alternatives, means lower commitment levels and therefore the relationships is likely to end.
Explains Abusive Relationships (+)
Despite abuse, investment could be high and quality of alternatives could be low resulting in the relationships to continue
Difficult To Measure (-)
Commitment, Satisfaction and Quality of alternatives are difficult to measure. Rusbult therefore created the investment model scale which measures all factors reliably and validly however, self-report methods are used.
Gender Differences (-)
Females tend to report higher satisfaction, poorer quality of alternatives and greater investment/commitment than males.
