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14 - A New Measure of Expected Relationship Satisfaction, Alternatives, and Investment Supports an Expectations Model of Interdependence

from Part IV - Interdependence, Timing, and Expectations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2020

By
Levi R. Baker ,
James K. McNulty ,
Ashlyn Brady  and
Shae Montalvo
Edited by
Laura V. Machia ,
Christopher R. Agnew  and
Ximena B. Arriaga
Laura V. Machia
Affiliation:
Syracuse University, New York
Christopher R. Agnew
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Indiana
Ximena B. Arriaga
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Indiana
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Summary

Contemporary interdependence perspectives posit that intimates are more likely to remain in a relationship to the extent that they are committed to that relationship, and that they tend to be more committed to the extent that they a) are currently satisfied with the relationship, b) believe they do not currently have more desirable alternatives to the relationship, and c) have previously invested resources into the relationship. At times, though, intimates may expect that their relationship satisfaction, alternatives, and investments will increase or decrease in the future, and research on decision-making suggests that such expectations may determine their relationship commitment more than their current or past experiences do. In this chapter, we first identify factors (e.g., plans to improve the relationship, personality, gender) that may cause intimates’ expected experiences to diverge from their current experiences. Next, we review theoretical and empirical work suggesting that intimates’ relationship commitment should be determined more by their expected experiences than by their current or past experiences. Finally, we introduce a new measure of expected relationship satisfaction, alternatives, and investments designed for future research into these ideas.

Keywords

ExpectationsInterdependence theorycommitmentclose relationships
Type
Chapter
Information
Interdependence, Interaction, and Close Relationships , pp. 293 - 315
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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