THEORIES OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS - RUSBULTS THEORY Flashcards

1
Q

Rusbults investment model emphasises…

A

importance of commitment in relationships, addressing limitations of SET

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2
Q

according to Rusbult, commitment depends on 3 factors…

A
  1. satisfaction - extent to which romantic partners feel the rewards of the relationship exceed costs
  2. comparison with alternatives - judgement partners concerning if alternative have better rewards and fewer costs
  3. investment size - extent and importance of resources in relationship
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3
Q

satisfaction and comp with alt

A
  • relationship is profitable if many rewards and few costs
  • satisfied if more out of relationship based on prev experiences and social norms (social media)
  • are alternatives more rewarding/would i be better alone
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4
Q

there are 2 types of investment…

A
  1. intrinsic - refers to investment that we directly put into relationship e.g. money, time, energy, disclosure
  2. extrinsic - refers to investment that wouldn’t be there without relationship e.g. child, dog, house, car
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5
Q

satisfaction vs commitment

A

commitment = main psych factor that causes ppl to stay in relationship
explains why those dissatisfied stay in their relationship as there are committed, don’t want investment to go to waste

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6
Q

what are relationship maintenance mechanisms?

A
  • x tit for tat, but accommodate/promote relationships, and forgive serious transgressions
  • cog element to relationships, be unrealistically positive abt partners and negative abt alt/other relationships
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7
Q

what are 3 evaluation points for Rusbult’s investment theory?

A

+ explains abusive relationships
+ supporting evidence
- oversimplifies investment

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8
Q

explains abusive relationships

A

P - valid and useful way of explaining IPV
E - key factor of relationships isn’t satisfaction
E- Rusbult and Martz studied ‘battered women’ in shelter, those +likely to return to abusive relationship = made bigger investment w/ few alt
L - inc PA / EV as we can apply it to real relationships

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9
Q

supporting evidence

A

P - there is supporting evid for Rusbult’s theory
E - Agnew et al, metanalysis of over 10k ppts across 5 countries, found satisfaction + investment + commitment = stable relationships
E - all outcomes were true for men and women across all cultures, and homosexual couples
L - inc generalisability, cultural validity and population validity
C - 5 countries, could be westernized relationships e.g. not relationships in tribes or collectivist countries

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10
Q

oversimplifies investment

A

P - Rusbult’s theory oversimplifies investment
E - Goodfriend + Agnew, few investment are present at start of relationship
E - this means people stay in relationships because of investment for their future plans e.g. baby names, holidays, extended Rusbult’s og model
L - original model is limited explanation for romantic relationships, decrease IV

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