Relationships Flashcards
Rusbults theory of romantic rel
- Ties that bind partners lead to persisting rel as well as +ve outcomes.
- 3 factors predict rel commitment chance (alternatives, satisfaction, investment)
What are 3 factors that predict rel commitment chance?
(Rusbults theory of romantic rel)
Alternatives: absence of better options maintains rel.
Satisfaction: +ve rewards relative to -ve costs.
Investments: Ties that bind partners (intrinsic/extrinsic)- commitment also sustains rel liklihood- liklihood rel will persist. Can be tangible (money/possessions) or intangible (energy/emotion/self disclosures)
Theories of romantic rel- strengths of Rustbults investment model AO3
+Research support: from meta-analysis by Le and Angew. Reveiwed 52 studies from late 1970s-1999 included 11,000 ptts from 5 countries. Found Rusbults 3 factors of commitment to be correct. Rel w greatest commitment were most stable and lasted longest. Outcomes universal suggesting validity of Rusbults theory.
+Explains abusive rel:Why does a ional person stay in an ‘abusive rel’. Rusbult & Martz (95) studied domestically abused women and found those most likely to return to an abusive rel were the most committed- made greatest investments and had least attractive alternatives.
Theories of romantic rel- limitations of Rusbult’s investment model AO3
-Correlational: Le & Angew’s meta-analysis were correlational. Although a strong correlation was found they don’t allow us to conclude that the factors the model identifies causes rel commitment. Direction of causality may be reversed.
**-Oversimplifies investment: ** It’s viewed in simplistic one-dimensional way. Goodfriend & Angew (08)- Not just current resources but future plans also count. Doesn’t show true complexity.
