This work tested the hypothesis that persons who are more committed to their relationships devalue potential alternative partners, especially attractive and threatening alternatives. In Study 1, a longitudinal study, perceived quality of alternatives decreased over time among stayers but increased for leavers. In Study 2, a computer dating service paradigm, more committed persons exhibited greatest devaluation of alternatives under conditions of high threat-when personally evaluating extremely attractive alternative partners. In Study 3, a simulation experiment, the tendency to reject and devalue alternatives was greater under conditions of high commitment. In all three studies, tendencies to devalue were more strongly linked to commitment than to satisfaction.
Stability and change in the complexity of senatorial debate: Testing the cog-nitive versus rhetorical style hypothesis." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46:979-90. United States House of Representatives. 1974. Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States from George Washington 1789 to Richard Milhous Nixon 1973. House Document 93-208, 93rd Congress, 1st Session. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office. Winter, David and Abigail J. Stewart. 1977. "Content analysis as a technique for assessing political leaders." Pp. 27-61 in The Psychological Examination of Political Leaders, edited by Margaret Herman. New York: Free Press.
A theory of couple patterns of problem solving that involves the Rusbult and Zembrodt (1983) exitvoice-loyalty-neglect typology of problem-solving responses is advanced and tested in a sample of dating relationships. Destructive problem-solving responses (exit and neglect) were more powerfully predictive of couple distress/nondistress than were constructive problem-solving behaviors (voice and loyalty). Tendencies to react with voice to mild relationship problems were also signihcantly predictive of couple functioning. Partner perceptions of one another's problem-solving styles were also related to couple distress/nondistress: Distress was greater to the extent that individuals perceived that their partners exhibit greater tendencies to engage in exit and neglect while showing lower levels of voice and (perhaps) loyalty. Certain interdependent patterns of partner problem solving were effectively predictive of couple health: Couple distress was greater to the degree that individuals reacted destructively and failed to respond constructively when their partners engage in destructive problem-solving responses. Reactions to partners' constructive responses were less effectively predictive of couple functioning. Thus it is the way in which partners react in response to destructive behaviors from their partners that is best predictive of relationship health. Lastly, in comparison with men, women engage in somewhat higher levels of voice and loyalty, and may behave less neglectfully. What determines whether a relationship will function successfully? Are certain couple patterns of problem solving more promotive of healthy functioning than others? One of the most important goals in the study of close relationships is to understand how couples react to inevitable, perhaps reparable, periodic decline and to identify the patterns of response that produce the most favorable consequences. Unfortunately, despite the abundance of theory and research devoted to understanding the development and deterioration of relationships (Altman & Taylor,
A survey of adult romantic involvements was conducted to test hypotheses regarding the determinants and consequences of four characteristic responses to dissatisfaction: exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect. In general, greater prior satisfaction with relationships and greater investment of resources in relationships were associated with stronger tendencies to react to problems constructively, with voice and loyalty, and lesser tendencies to react destructively, with exit and neglect. Higher quality alternatives promoted exit and inhibited loyalty. Greater problem severity encouraged exit and voice and discouraged loyalty. Voice and loyalty resulted in more favorable outcomes, better immediate consequences and greater later satisfaction and commitment, whereas exit and neglect produced less favorable consequences. The relationship between a variety of demographic characteristics and each category of response were also examined.
Three studies examined the relationship between self‐esteem and responses to periodic decline in close relationships. A four‐category typology of responses to dissatisfaction was utilized: exit — actively destroying the relationship; voice — actively and constructively attempting to improve conditions; loyalty — passively but optimistically waiting for conditions to improve; and neglect — passively allowing the relationship to deteriorate. It was hypothesized that individuals with stronger self‐esteem would attempt to solve problems in a more active fashion — with exit and voice — whereas those with weaker self‐esteem would react to problems in their relationships in a more passive manner — with loyalty and neglect. The relationship between self‐esteem and generalized problem‐solving styles was explored among university students in study 1, and among adults residing in the local community in study 2. Study 3 explored the relationship between self‐esteem and actual problem‐solving behaviour in the relationships of lesbians, gay males and heterosexual women and men. Consistent with predictions, a meta‐analysis of the results of the three studies revealed that individuals with stronger self‐esteem were more likely to engage in active exit behaviours and were less likely to react with passive neglect. However, self‐esteem was only weakly promotive of loyalty and was unrelated to voice behaviours. Thus, self‐esteem is an effective predictor of negative problem‐solving behaviours in close relationships.
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