Discuss Rusbult’s Investment Model.

AO1

• model claims satisfaction cannot be the sole factor in commitment

• outlines three elements

  • satisfaction - measured through the level of profit (costs vs rewards)

  • comparison with alternatives, one remains in a relationship if there aren’t any better options

  • investment, what a partner has put into the relationship that they stand to lose in a breakup

    • intrinsic, placed directly into it e.g. time, money, a house

    • extrinsic, factors associated with the relationship e.g. children, mutual friends

• relationship maintenance mechanisms - behavioural features of healthy relationships e.g. not engaging in tit-for-tat, unconditional positive regard, ridiculing of alternatives

AO3

• explains commitment in abusive relationships, accounts for these situations in which there is no/very little satisfaction

• Le and Agnew (2003) reviewed 52 studies with a total of 11,000 ppts and found each element of Rusbult’s model to be a strong indicator of commitment, this finding was true regardless of culture, age, gender and sexuality

  • causation may operate in the opposite direction, perhaps those who feel more committed to their partner are more likely to invest in it

  • self-report measures are not an issue as it is one’s own perception of the different factors that is actually influencing their commitment behaviour, whether they are accurate is neither here nor there

• the idea of investment is too simple as it ignores a third factor - the future - this includes investments such as plans for the relationship's progression, or simply physical plans like an upcoming holiday