rusbult's invesment model

Question 1

rusbult’s investment model

Answer 1

commitment depends on 3 factors - satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment

Question 2

satisfaction level

Answer 2

positive vs negative emotions expressed within relationship and is influenced by extent to which other person fulfils individual’s most important needs.

Question 3

quality of alts

Answer 3

extent to which individual’s most important needs may be better fulfilled outside current relationship.

attractive alternatives might lead individual away from current relationship. if alternatives not present, individual may persist with relationship due to lack of better options.

Question 4

investment size

Answer 4

measure of all resources attached to relationship and which would diminish in value or be lost completely if relationship were to end.

investments create powerful psychological inducement to persist with a relationship as they increase connections with partner that’d be costly to break

Question 5

commitment level

Answer 5

likelihood that an involvement will persist

when people are satisfied with relationships, feel tied to it because of their investment or have no suitable alternatives, they become dependent on that relationship.

commitment is a consequence of increasing dependence

Question 6

evaluation - supporting research evidence

Answer 6

le & agnew - meta analysis reviewing 52 studies which included PPs from 5 countries.

found satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment sizes all predicted relationship commitment.

relationships in which commitment was greatest were most stable and lasted longest. outcomes were true for men and women across all cultures, and for homosexual too

gives some validity to rusbult’s claim that these factors are universally important features of romantic relationships.

Question 7

evaluation - explains abusive relationships

Answer 7

rusbult & martz - studied ‘battered’ women at a shelter - found those most likely to return to abusive partner reported making greatest investment and having fewest attractive alternatives.

model recognises victim of intimate partner violence doesn’t have to be satisfied with relationship to stay in it

Question 8

evaluation - oversimplifies investment

Answer 8

goodfriend & agnew - more to investment than just resources already put into relationship

extended rusbults original model by including investments made in future plans - motivated to commit to each other as they want to see their cherished plans for future work out.

original model is limited explanation as it fails to recognise true complexity of investment, specifically how planning for future influences commitment