rusbults investment model of relationships Flashcards
what as the three factors of commitment
- satisfaction
- comparison with alternatives
- investment
what is satisfaction based on
comparison levels
- a relationship is judged by comparing rewards and costs
- profitable if rewards exceed cost
- each person is generally satisfied if they are getting more out of a relationship based on previous experience and social norms
how is comparison level for alternatives relevant to commitment
- extent to which an individuals most important needs might be better fulfilled outside the current relationship
- perceived that an attractive
what is an attractive alternative
other people or not being in a relationship can be seen as a more attractive alternative
what is an investment
anything we would lose if the relationship were to end
what is investment size
a measure of all the resources that are attached to the relationship and which would diminish in value or be lost if the relationship were to end
what does investment create
a powerful psychological incentive to persist with a relationship
what are the two types of investment
intrinsic and extrinsic
what an intrinsic investment
resources put directly into the relationship eg money
whats an extrinsic investment
resources that are closely associated with the relationship eg friends
commitment level =
the likelihood that an individual will persist with their current relationship
- its a product of high satisfaction and investment in the relationship and low quality of alternatives
a strength of rustbults model is that there is supporting evidence from le and Agnew
- meta analysis of 52 studies conducted between the 70s and 90s
- each explored different components of the investment model
- sample of 11000 ptps 54% male and 46% female
- from 5 countries
- across all studies satisfaction level, comparison level with alternatives and investment size predicted relationship commitment
- the correlation between satisfaction level and commitment was found to be significantly stronger than either quality of alternatives and investment size and commitment
- the correlation between commitment level and stay or leave behavior was also significant with individuals showing higher levels of commitment being more likely to stay in a relationship and those with lower levels to leave
- outcomes were true across all cultures and both heterosexual and homosexual couples
- this is a strength as it provides support to rusbults claims using a very large sample size with ptps across different cultures
- therefore there is some validity to rustbelts claim that these factors are universally important features of romantic relationships
what are the 5 methods of relationship maintenance strategies
- accommodation
- willingness to sacrifice
- forgiveness
- positive illusions
- ridiculing alternatives
a limitation of research into the investment model is that the direction of causality might be wrong
- strong correlations have been found between all the important factors predicted by the investment model
- most of the studies in le and agnews meta analysis were correlational
- however correlations do not allow us to conclude that factors identified by the model cause commitment in relationship
- it could be that the more committed you feel towards your partner the more investment you’re willing to make
- this is a limitation as the research the model is based upon is only correlational and cannot be used to establish cause and effect
- therefore it is not clear that the model has identified the causes of commitment rather then the factors that are associated with it
a strength of the investment model is that it has real world applications and can explain why individuals may persist in a relationship with an abusive partner
- victims of partner abuse experience low satisfaction which would lead us to predict that they would leave the abusive partner, but many do not
- the investment model highlights features of the relationship that would explain this
- eg they lack alternatives or may have invested too much with that partner (children) making dissolution too traumatic and costly
- this is a strength as it helps to explain why people might stay in relationships where they are not satisfied or even being abused
- the investment model explains why abuse victims do not have to be satisfied with a relationship to stay in it
- therefore the model has high explanatory power
a limitation of the investment model is that it overlooks any future plans the partners have made in the relationship
- there is more to investment than just the resources you have already put into a relationship
- for example in the early stages of a romantic relationship the partners will have made very few actual investments and may not even actually live together at this point
- in ending a relationship an individual would not only lose investments made to date but also the possibility of any investment in the future
- some relationships persist not because of the current balance of investments made but because of a motivation to see plans work out
- this is a limitation because it is a limited explanation of romantic relationships because it fails to recognise the true complexity of the investment and how planning for the future also influences commitment
- therefore it is an oversimplistic view of what is meant by an investment
