Rustbault's investment model

• Rusbault's investment model is another development of SET, as both SET and equity theory fail to explain why people remain in a relationship where costs outweigh rewards/there are more attractive alternatives or they are under-benefitted
• the main focus of the investment model is how commitment is affected by satisfaction, , comparison with alternatives and investment
• satisfaction is based on the CL, addressed by SET, where the rewards from a relationship are greater than the costs - CLalt may determine other options to be more profitable than the current relationship, reducing satisfaction
• the main factor differentiating this theory from the others, is the idea of investment and it's influence on commitment - they are anything that could be lost if the relationship ends

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  intrinsic investments are resources we put directly into a relationship such as money or possessions or even unquantifiable resources such as energy and self-disclosures

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  extrinsic investments are resources not previously featured in the relationship, including possessions bought together, such as a car, children or mutual friends or shared memories (intangible)
• commitment expresses itself in everyday maintenance behaviours and according to the model partners engage in it to promote the relationship (accommodation) and will put their partners needs first (willingness to sacrifice), forgive them for any serious transgressions (forgiveness), are unrealistically positive about their partner (positive illusions) and are negative about attempting alternatives (ridiculing alternatives) - relationship maintenance mechanisms
• ao3 - research support

  Le and Agnew (2003) reviewed 52 relationship studies in a meta-analysis and found that satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment all predicted relationship commitment - and that in relationships where commitment was greatest, they were the most stable and long-lasting

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  these results were true across all cultures in the analysis and homosexual couples -> validity to the universality of Rusbult's claims

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  no culture bias, but difficulty with self-report techniques and correlational evidence
• ao3 - explains abusive relationships


  this model is thought to be a particularly valid and useful explanation of relationships involving intimate partner violence - SET and equity theory state that a person will leave a relationship when they are unsatisfied, as they would be in an abusive relationship, and so they do not explain why they occur

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  research found those most likely to return to an abusive partner were most committed and made greater investments with fewer attractive alternatives -> recognises that an individual does not have to be satisfied in a relationship to stay in it
• oversimplifies investment


  researchers have pointed out that there is more to investment than the resources you have already put in, as there will be very few actual investments in the beginning of the relationship as they are unlikely to be living together

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  the original model has been extended by including the investment romantic partners plan to make in the future, meaning they are motivated to commit to each other as they want to see their future plans work out - this means the investment model is a limited explanation as it fails to recognise the complexity of investment