Rusbult’s investment model

    Cards (8)

    • Investment theory
      A development of social exchange theory that suggests people consider their current satisfaction, costs/rewards, alternatives, and investments when deciding whether to continue a relationship
    • Investment theory
      • Commitment = Satisfaction - Alternatives + Investment
      • Investment refers to things put into a relationship that cannot be easily recovered if the relationship ends
    • Types of investment
      • Intrinsic (e.g. time, emotional investment, self-disclosure)
      • Extrinsic (e.g. shared friends, memories, possessions)
    • As relationships develop over time
      Investment size increases, resulting in greater commitment and reduced perception of alternatives
    • Research on investment theory
      • Rusbult's longitudinal study of dating couples
      • Rhatigan and Axsom's study of women in abusive relationships
    • Investment theory can explain why people stay in relationships that are unsatisfying or have low rewards, unlike equity theory and social exchange theory
    • Investment theory may not explain the survival of relationships in early stages with little investment
    • Self-report measures used in investment theory research may have low validity due to response bias
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