theories of romantic relationships Flashcards
investment model of commitment
rusbult 2011 - argues the level of commitment an individual puts into a relationship is based on 5 main factors
an individual will feel more or less committed to the relationship as the degree of each factors rises and falls
satisfaction
CL Alt
investment
social support
equity
satisfaction
will increase the more an individual thinks their partner meets their needs (emotional and sexual) and so the relationship is more beneficial than costly
CL Alt
commitment will increase if, compared to other potential relationships, our current relationship is more likely to meet our needs and the benefits of it outweigh the possibility of a new relationship
investment
the more we think we have invested into a relationship the more committed we feel
the importance placed on these investments is crucial as an individual will be more committed to a relationship if they think that quitting the relationship would mean losing their investments (e.g. possessions, children or friends)
equity
the more equitable (fair) an individual thinks their relationship is the more committed to it they will be
social support
the more support an individual gets from their friends and family members about a relationship the more committed to it they will be
strength 1 invest
supporting research
from Rusbult (1988)
who found that in a series of studies where student participants, same sex couples and married couples were given her investment model scale (IMS) questionnaire, commitment was positively correlated with satisfaction and investment size but negatively correlated with alternatives.
this suggests that , as the model predicts, we will remain committed to a relationship as long as we remain satisfied,; the quality of other possible relationships is low; and we could lose our investments if the relationship broke down
strength 2 invest
further evidence comes from Le and Agnew (2003)
who found that in a meta-analysis of 52 studies from the 1970s to the 1990s covering 11k participants over 5 countries, satisfaction, comparisons with alternatives and investment all predicted relationship commitment with the most committed couples lasting the longest
this was found regardless of gender, sexuality and in some cultures
this suggests that as the model predicts, factors such as satisfaction and investment are a strong predictor of whether a relationship will last and this is universally true
eval of Le and Agnew (2003)
study provides great support for investment model as it has high population validity
which is extent to which the findings can be generalised to wider population, increasing external validity
this is because a wide range of different types of relationships were studied
therefore the model may successfully explain maintenance of short & long-term relationships across a variety of cultures
limit 1 invest
the model may be inappropriately simplistic
because it inappropriately explains relationships in simple terms
this is because Goodfriend and Le and Agnew (2008) argue the model over-exaggerates the role of investments and ignores future plans (e.g. buying a house) made by a couple & how these motivate them to stay together
therefore, the model ignores the true complexity of longer term relationships
limit 2 invest
model is invalid as research used to support it fails to establish cause and effect
this is because the model simply describes the relationship between factors rather than explaining the cause behind the link
the direction of causation could be the opposite of howo the model predicts - level of investment may be high simply because we feel committed to our partner (and not the other way around which the model suggests)
therefore, the model may not be a valid explanation of relationships
