Page 1: Understanding Relationship Commitment and the Rusbult Investment Model
The Rusbult Investment Model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding relationship commitment through three key factors: satisfaction, comparison with alternatives, and investment. Partners evaluate their relationships based on rewards versus costs, while developing cognitive mechanisms that support commitment.
Definition: Satisfaction is defined as the extent to which romantic partners feel the rewards of a relationship exceed the costs, based on their previous experiences.
Example: In cases of domestic abuse studied by Rusbult and Martz, women with greater investments and fewer alternatives were more likely to return to abusive partners, despite low satisfaction.
Highlight: The model demonstrates that satisfaction alone doesn't determine relationship longevity - commitment and investment play crucial roles.
Vocabulary: Intrinsic investments refer to direct relationship inputs like money and emotional energy, while extrinsic investments include shared resources like children or mutual friends.
Quote: "Le and Agnew reviewed 52 studies including 11,000 participants from 5 countries" supporting the model's validity across different cultures and relationship types.
The model's limitations include its simplistic view of investment and reliance on self-reported data, which can be influenced by bias. However, its strength lies in explaining complex relationship dynamics, including why partners might remain in unsatisfying relationships due to high investment and limited alternatives. The research demonstrates consistent findings across genders, cultures, and sexual orientations, particularly regarding how satisfaction, comparison level alternatives, and investment size predict relationship commitment.
