Impact of investment size on responses to dissatisfaction in romantic relationships

• Main Authors: Nob, Rene M., Consolacion, Diane Marie Ustare, Desingano, Armi Grace, Magno, Carlo P.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Subjects: Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/11700
• Institution: De La Salle University

The present study intends to determine the impact of investment size, both intrinsic (i.e., duration of relationship, sexual involvement, forgiveness of transgression), and extrinsic (i.e., joint assets, shared recreation, and common friends), on individuals' constructive (i.e., voice and loyalty), and destructive (i.e., exit and neglect) responses to a dissatisfying romantic relationship. The current study is anchored on Rusbult's (1980) investment model theory of relationship, as well as typology of responses to declining satisfaction in romantic involvements by Rusbult, Zembrodt, and Gunn (1982). There were 340 respondents who participated in this explanatory retrospective (Johnson, 2001) study; all of whom have ex[eroemced dissatisfaction in a romantic relationship. Structural equation modeling suggests that intrinsic and extrinsic investment has an effect on an individual's use of constructive responses when they are dissatisfied with romantic relationship. However, contrary to the hypothesized outcome, intrinsic investment also predicted destructive responses. Extrinsic investment did not have an effect on destructive responses.