Commitment Flashcards
What is Commitment?
The intention to maintain a relationship over time.
or
the choice to give up other choices.
What are the two basic forces of commitment?
Dedication and Constraint
What is Dedication?
The “want to”
- Personal dedication comprises all of the forces that increase that desire to maintain relationship: Wanting to share a future together, having a couple identity.
What is Constraint?
The “have to”
- All of the forces that make it more difficult to end a relationship: family expectations, religious beliefs about divorce, having a pet together.
True or false:
Dedication is more closely associated with satisfaction; whereas constraint is more to stability in relationships.
True.
What are precived Constraints?
- Internal or external forces that encourage partners to stay together: social pressure, the sense that you have made substantial investments that would be lost.
What are material constraints?
Specific, tangible resources couples share: having a lease, shared debt, kids
What is felt constraint?
- Sense of feeling trapped in a relationship “I would leave my partner if I wasn’t so difficult to do so”
What does felt constraint predict?
- Felt constraint is the only aspect if constraint that predicts relationship dissolution
- It also predicts in a relationship with physical violence.
Why is dedication important?
It gets us to commit
Why are constraints important?
They keep us in a relationship.
True or false:
Constraint is a unavoidable negative byproduct of a relationship.
False:
It is not a negative thing all the time, only sometimes.
Is constraint avoidable?
Nope
When do you begin to notice constraint?
When satisfaction gets low within a relationship.
When Satisfaction is High what is our perceived constraint, material constraint, and felt constraint.
High Perceived Con + High Material Con + low felt Con
When Satisfaction is low what is our perceived constraint, material constraint, and felt constraint.
High Perceived Con + High Material Con + high felt Con
What does constraint help us explain about low quality relationships?
It helps us explain why they persist, but also stabilize high quality relationships that have periods of unhappiness.
True or false:
Being committed to a relationship has a drastic impact on relationship acquaintance behaviors.
True.
What is the importance of Sacrifice?
sacrifice of Intimidate self-interest for long-term, benefit of a partner, highly linked to commitment.
What is the relationship between sacrifice and commitment?
High commitment leads to High number of sacrifices, then leads to satisfaction with sacrifice, and higher willingness to sacrifice.
True or false:
Greater commitment reduces the belief that sacrifice is harmful (Especially for men)
True
What is satisfaction with sacrifice a predictor of?
It is the strongest predictor of future relationship satisfaction.
What is the fundamental function of commitment?
The formation of and securing of romantic relationships.
What is the key factor that is needed for commitment to breed a happy and healthy relationship?
it must EXIST in both partners and be communicated between partners.
