Rusbult’s investment model

    Cards (25)

    • what does commitment depend on according to Rusbult?
      three factors:
      1. satisfaction
      2. comparison with alternatives
      3. investment
    • what is Rusbult's ivestment model a development of?
      Social exchange theory
    • what is satisfaction based on?
      the concept of the comparison level
    • what is a satisfying relationship judged by?
      comparing rewards and costs
    • when is a satisfying relationship seen to be profitable?
      if it has many rewards and few costs
    • when is each partner generally satisfied/
      if they are getting more out the relationship than they expect based on previous experiences and social norms
    • what does a comparison with alternatives result in?
      romantic partners asking themselves if a different partner would be more rewarding and less costly
    • 2 things alternatives may include

      - relationships with other people

      - no relationship at all
    • what can an investment be understood as?

      anything we would lose if the relationship were to end
    • what are the 2 major types of investment?
      1. intrinsic investment

      2. extrinsic investment
    • what are intrinsic investments
      any resources we put directly into the relationship

      - they can be tangible things such as money and possessions

      - they can also be intangible resources such as energy, emotion and self-disclosure
    • what are extrinsic investments
      resources that previously did not feature in the relationship, but are now closely associated with it

      - tangibles include possessions bought together, mutual friends and children

      - intangibles include shared memories
    • what did Rusbult argue about commitment?
      that commitment is the main psychological factor that causes people to stay in romantic relationships, with satisfaction only as a contributory factor
    • why is the distinction between commitment and satisfaction important/
      because it can help explain why dissatisfied partners may choose to stay in a relationship - it is because they are committed to their partner
    • why are partners so committed even if they are not satisfied?
      because they have made an investment they don't want to see go to waste
    • what do successful relationships demonstrate?
      maintenance mechanisms
    • what are the 5 maintenance mechanisms?
      1. Accommodation
      2. willingness to sacrifice
      3. forgiveness
      4. positive illusions
      5. ridiculing alternatives
    • accommodation - maintenance mechanism

      making allowances for other's needs
    • sacrifice - maintenance mechanism

      putting other people's needs first
    • forgiveness - maintenance mechanism
      forgive for serious transgressions
    • positive illusion - maintenance mechanism

      seeing best in the other
    • ridiculing alternatives - maintenance mechanism
      picking flaws out in other relationships
    • strength - research support
      - Le and Agnew conducted a meta analysis and found that satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment size all predicted relationship commitment

      - relationships in which commitment was greatest were the most stable and lasted longest

      - these outcomes were true for both men and women , across all cultures in the analysis, and for homosexual and well as heterosexual couples

      - this suggests there is validity for Rusbult's claim that these factors are universally important features of romantic relationships
    • strength - the model is an explanation of relationships that involve intimate partner violence
      - Rusbult and Martz studied women at a shelter and found that those more likely to return to an abusive partner reported having made the greatest investment and having the fewest attractive alternatives

      - these women were dissatisfied with their relationships but still committed to them

      - therefore, the model shows that the satisfaction on its own cannot explain why people stay in relationships - commitment and investment are also factors
    • limitation - investment is oversimplified
      - there is more to investment that just the resources already put into the relationship

      - in early stages, partners will have made very few actual investments

      - Rusbult's investment model doesn't include the investment partners make in future plans

      the original model is limited because it fails to explain the complexity of investment especially how planning for the future influences commitment
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