the investment model

what is the investment model?

an explanation of relationship stability that emphasises the importance of 3 factors which determine relationship commitment

what 3 factors are in the investment model?

• satisfaction

• investment size

• quality of alternatives

what is commitment?

the likelihood that an individual will persist with their current relationship

what is commitment the product of?

high satisfaction + investment in the relationship and low quality of alternatives

what is investment?

a measure of all the resources attached to the relationship which would be lost if the relationship were to end

what is quality of alternatives?

an individual’s assessment of whether their needs might be better fulfilled by somebody other than their current partner

what is satisfaction?

a measure of the degree to which the current partner gratifies a person’s important needs

who developed the investment model?

rusbult

why do relationships persist?

the positive things that attract one partner to another and the ties that keep them together + the absence of a better option

what is the satisfaction level influenced by?

the extent to which the other person fulfils the individual’s most important needs

what are investments split into?

• intrinsic

• extrinsic

what are intrinsic investments?

direct investments e.g., money & time

what are extrinsic investments?

investments brought by the couple e.g., shared friends, children

what is the key study for the investment model?

le & agnew

what was le & agnew’s procedure?

• meta-analysis of 52 studies between 1970s and 90s

• explored components of the investment model

• sample of over 11k pps

what is the split of participants in le & agnew’s sample?

54% male and 46% female

what 5 countries did le & agnew analyse?

• usa

• uk

• taiwan

• netherlands

• israel

what did le & agnew find?

• satisfaction, quality of alternatives + investment size highly correlated with commitment

• correlation between satisfaction + commitment was strongest - .68

• showing higher commitment makes you more likely to stay in a relationship

what are the strengths of the investment model?

• research support - le et al - 38k pps over 33 years - discover staying or leaving variables - commitment was a strong predictor - other investment model variables were part of it

• rwa - explains abusive relationships - investment size + lack of alternatives - rusbult & martz - ‘battered’ women at a shelter returned to the partner

• wide application - cross-cultural - different pps populations - sub-groups - online - wechat - li - investment predictive

what are the weaknesses of the investment model?

• problems in measuring variables - rusbult developed investment model scale - high in reliability + validity - relies on self-report - social desirability bias

• investment in future not considered - goodfriend & agnew - ending relationships must consider future plans - may be more important

what are the maintenance mechanisms used in relationships?

• accommodation

• willingness to sacrifice

• forgiveness

• positive illusions

• ridiculing alternatives

what is accommodation?

promote relationship keeping behaviour e.g., not keeping a tally of positive and negative exchanges