rustbults investment model

• INTRO

  • RIM is an economic theory and an extension of social exchange theory based on satisfaction with relationship based on comparison level, comparison levels for alternatives and investment
  • once the criteria above has been addressed, it means commitment in the relationship will follow
• INVESTMENT

  • refers to how much each partner brings to the relationship - refers to quality aswell as quantity
  • if relationship ends, partners lose out financially, emotionally and materially
  • two types of investment - intrinsic (everything partners have brought to relationship separately such as self-disclosure, money and effort) and extrinsic (comprises of everything that is a result of the relationship itself such as children or joint memories)
  • If both partners have substantially invested in the relationship then the relationship is likely to survive, even if satisfaction is low at times
• COMMITMENT

  Commitment refers to how determined a couple is to stay together 

  • If a couple is committed to the relationship it means they have invested in the relationship and they want it to succeed 
  • According to Rusbult, commitment helps to maintain a relationship e.g. a couple will attempt to work through a ‘rough patch’ to repair the relationship as both of them have made a commitment
  • RIM claims some strategies used to maintain commitment includes : sacrifice on both sides, accommodation and forgiveness
• • +  Rusbult’s Investment Model has high ecological validity as it can explain abusive relationships, by focussing on investment and viable alternatives. rustbult and martz found that the predictions based off of Rusbult’s model can explain why ‘battered women’ often return to their abusive partners, and explained this in terms of making significant investments and having few alternative partners, rather than satisfaction (which is obviously not present in an abusive relationship ). Therefore, this shift of focus may be considered a more valid explanation of abusive relationships compared to SET
• A03+One strength of the Investment Model is that it is supported by numerous research studies. For example, Le and Agnew  found that satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment greatly contributed to commitment. This supports the model’s claims about the factors contributing to commitment and about commitment being the most promising feature in successful long-term relationships, and thereby increases the reliability of the model.
• -The majority of research into the Investment Model is correlational, so psychologists are unable to conclude that investment causes commitment in relationships incase of a third variable. This limits the predictive validity of the model, as it would fail to predict which types of investment and how much investment will lead to long-term commitment to a relationship. Lack of predictive validity also makes the Investment Model less scientifically rigorous