THEORIES OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS - RUSBULTS THEORY

Question 1

Rusbults investment model emphasises…

Answer 1

importance of commitment in relationships, addressing limitations of SET

Question 2

according to Rusbult, commitment depends on 3 factors…

Answer 2

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

Question 3

satisfaction and comp with alt

Answer 3

• 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

Question 4

there are 2 types of investment…

Answer 4

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

Question 5

satisfaction vs commitment

Answer 5

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

Question 6

what are relationship maintenance mechanisms?

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

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

Answer 7

+ explains abusive relationships
+ supporting evidence
- oversimplifies investment

Question 8

explains abusive relationships

Answer 8

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

Question 9

supporting evidence

Answer 9

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

Question 10

oversimplifies investment

Answer 10

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