Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships.

Abstract

The present work advances and tests an interdependence-based model of the associations among commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust. Findings from two longitudinal studies revealed good support for model predictions. Commitment-inspired acts such as accommodation and willingness to sacrifice provide diagnostic information regarding a partner's pro-relationship motives. Individuals come to trust their partners when they perceive that their partners have enacted pro-relationship behaviors, departing from their direct self-interest for the good of the relationship. The results of mediation analyses are consistent with a model of mutual cyclical growth in which (a) dependence promotes strong commitment, (b) commitment promotes pro-relationship acts, (c) pro-relationship acts are perceived by the partner, (d) the perception of pro-relationship acts enhances the partner's trust, and (e) trust increases the partner's willingness to become dependent on the relationship. Auxiliary analyses revealed that self-reported attachment style does not account for substantial variance beyond the features of interdependence that form the basis for the present model.The more he treated her as though she were really very nice, the more Lotty expanded and became really very nice, and the more he, affected in his turn, became really very nice himself; so that they went round and round, not in a vicious but in a highly virtuous circle.-Elizabeth von Arnim, The Enchanted AprilSometimes involvement with a close partner is simple. When partners' goals correspond and their behavioral preferences are compatible, partners can readily achieve desirable outcomes such as intimacy, companionship, and security. It is easy to behave well and do the right thing when interdependence structure is congenial. The true test of a relationship arises when circumstances are not so congenial-when partners encounter dilemmas involving conflicted interaction, incompatible preferences, or extrarelationship temptation. In dilemmas of this sort the immediate interests of the individual are incompatible with the interests of the relationship, and something must give.

Settling for less out of fear of being single.

“…Typically, dependence and commitment are considered to be positive and important aspects of relationship stability. Relationship dependence leads to greater commitment over time (Attridge, Berscheid, & Sprecher, 1998;Wieselquist, Rusbult, Foster, & Agnew, 1999).…”

When forgiving enhances psychological well-being: The role of interpersonal commitment.

“…Commitment is defined as the intent to persist in a relationship, including long-term orientation to the involvement and feelings of psychological attachment to the partner (Agnew, Van Lange, Rusbult, & Langston, 1998;Rusbult, Martz, & Agnew, 1998). As demonstrated in several studies, commitment is predictive of various cognitions and behaviors, including not only accommodation but also willingness to sacrifice, unrealistically positive beliefs about the relationship, and a shift in thinking from "I, me, and mine" to "we, us, and ours" (e.g., Agnew et al, 1998;Rusbult, Van Lange, Wildschut, Yovetich, & Verette, 2000;Van Lange, Otten, De Bruin, & Joireman, 1997;Van Lange, Rusbult, et al, 1997;Wieselquist, Rusbult, Foster, & Agnew, 1999).…”

The Look that Binds: Partner-Directed Altruistic Motivation and Biased Perception in Married Couples

“…Murray et al, 2010), we developed a 16-item instrument of accommodative behaviors during relationship conflicts based on the description of a similar instrument in Wieselquist, Rusbult, Foster, and Agnew (1999). The instrument contained four stems, each describing a situation in which a partner behaved destructively (e.g., "When my partner is upset and says something mean to me or snaps at me...").…”

“…Finally, we reasoned that inclusion of the measure assessing trust in the partner would help us show that it is not the partner's "actual" trustworthiness (as perceived by the actor), but rather the actor's motivational orientation towards the partner, that determines how the actor perceives the partner. Importantly, despite the inherent subjectivity of such judgments, prior research suggests that an actor's trust in the partner is influenced by actual partner attributes relevant to predictability (e.g., self-concealment, Finkenauer, Kerkhof, Righetti, & Branje, 2009) and dependability (e.g., willingness to behave in a pro-relationship manner, Wieselquist et al, 1999 or ability to act on his/her good intentions, i.e., self-control, Righetti & Finkenauer, 2011).…”