Relationships: topic 7 ‘theories of romantic relationships - ’rusbults investment model of committment’

Question 1

who proposed the investment model of commitment?

Answer 1

• rusbult

Question 2

what is rusbult’s investment model of commitment?

Answer 2

• The investment model of commitment is an extension of social exchange theory, it is an explanation of relationship stability that emphasises the importance of three factors: satisfaction, comparison with alternatives, and investment in determining relationship commitment

Question 3

what are the three factors in the investment model of commitment?

Answer 3

• satisfaction, comparison with alternatives, investment
• these three factors determine commitment in a relationship

Question 4

what is meant by satisfaction in the investment model of commitment?

Answer 4

• satisfaction refers to the extent of which romantic partners feel the rewards of the relationship outweigh the costs

Question 5

what is meant by comparison with alternatives in the investment model of commitment?

Answer 5

• comparison with alternatives refers to individuals assessing whether a relationship with a different partner (or no partner) would bring more rewards and less costs

Question 6

what is meant by investment in the investment model of commitment?

Answer 6

• investment refers to resources contributed towards the relationship which would be lost if the relationship was to end
• Investments may include shared friendships, time, energy, possessions, and self disclosures, and these can give strong motivation to maintain relationships

Question 7

what factor is considered to be the main psychological factor for a relationship to be maintained?

Answer 7

• commitment is considered to be the main psychological factors that causes people to stay together

Question 8

what is the result of high commitment in a relationship?

Answer 8

• commitment is high in romantic partners who have high levels of satisfaction, have little to gain from a new relationship (quality of alternatives is low) and a lot to lose from ending the current relationship (investment is high)

Question 9

what is the result of low commitment in a relationship?

Answer 9

• commitment is low when satisfaction levels an investment in the relationship are both low, and the quality of alternatives is high
• rusbult argues that even if satisfaction is low, partners may choose to stay in the relationship and work at it because of high investment which they don’t want to be wasted

Question 10

strengths of investment model of commitment

Answer 10

P - support for the investment model comes from le and agnew
E - conducted a meta analysis of 52 studies over 30 years, including 11,000 participants from 5 countries
E - found that satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment or predicted relationship commitment and that the most committed relationships were the most stable and long lasting
L - this is positive as it supports all of the predictions of rusbult’s investment model

P - the investment model can explain why some women stay in abusive relationships
E - rusbult and martz argue that, when a large amount of investment has been made in a relationship (eg children) and alternatives are low (eg no alternative relationship relationships and nowhere to live), commitment can still remain high despite satisfaction being very low
E - this suggests, even relationships which seem hard to explain on the face of it, can be effectively explained by the investment model and therefore strengthens this theory
L - this model can’t explain in real life issues that can sometimes occur within relationships

Question 11

limitations of investment model of commitment

Answer 11

P - critics argue that the model oversimplifies the idea of investment
E - goodfriend and agnew suggest that investment is more than the resources that are put into the relationship, but also any future plans that couples may make together
E - they are more motivated to commit to one another because they want to see their cherished plans come to fruition
L - this suggests the investment model is limited as it fails to recognise the true complexity of investment

Question 12

limitations of all theories of romantic relationships

Answer 12

P - research into factors affecting attraction may suffer from cultural bias
E - most theories have been proposed by Western researchers who live in individualist cultures like the US (which emphasise the needs of the individual over the group), rather than collectivist cultures like India or China (where the reverse is true), so these theories may only explain romantic relationships in this type of culture
E - for example, how the individual views profitability, equity or satisfaction may be less important in collective cultures where people may be more focused on the needs of others rather than their own satisfaction
L - this suggests that explanations of attraction are limited as they are not universal

P - all of these theories of romantic relationships are based on flawed research
E/E - all studies into rewards and costs unsatisfaction in relationship relationships rely on self report measures which often have problems with participants wishing to present themselves in a positive light (social desirability bias)
L - this is a problem as the theories of romantic relationships may be based on biased and invalid feelings
E - HOWEVER it would be extremely difficult to measure feelings about romantic relationships any other way as the issue is, by it’s very nature, a subjective one