Rusbult commitment to a relationship depends on three factors
satisfaction
investment
alternatives and commitment
Satisfaction
People will have a high satisfaction level if they have more rewards and fewer costs, as social exchange theory suggests
Alternatives
Formed based on all of our experiences plus our views of what we might exchange from a particular exchange
Investment Size
Rusbult found that when people were deciding whether to end a relationship, they weighed up the rewards and the costs of the relationship but also considered how much they had invested in the relationship
There are two types of investment
Intrinsic investment
Extrinsic investment
Intrinsic investment
compromises the things we put directly into the relationship, such as effort, money, possessions and self-disclosure
Extrinsic investment
the things that are brought into peoples life through the relationship, such as children, friends and shared memories
