Investigating the Behavioral Indicators of Relational Commitment

Abstract

Although the commitment literature has made good progress at explaining why people stay in or leave relationships, much of this literature does not address the daily behavioral aspects of relationship commitment. This article reports the results of two studies undertaken to more systematically investigate the behavioral indicators of commitment. The first study asked 248 people what things they do or say to show their commitment to their partners. Participants identified a total of 928 behaviors that were coded into 10 major categories of indicators of commitment: providing affection, providing support, maintaining integrity, sharing companionship, making effort to communicate, showing respect, creating a relational future, creating a positive relational atmosphere, working on relationship problems together, and expressing commitment. A second study with a new sample of 350 people was under- taken to explore the association between the use of these behavioral indicators and both structural and perceptual elements of the relationship. Results showed that there were significant differences in the use of behavioral indicators depending on relationship type and sex. Results also showed that the greater the use of specific behavioral indicators, the higher the levels of commitment and satisfaction.

Keywords

behavioral indicators commitment satisfaction

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Acitelli, L. (1992). Sex differences in relationship awareness and marital satisfaction among young married couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 102-110.

Adams, J. M. , & Jones, W. H. (1999). Interpersonal commitment in historical perspective. In J. M. Adams & W. H. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal commitment and relationship stability (pp. 3-33). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

Ballard-Reisch, D. S. , & Weigel, D. J. (1999). Communication processes in marital commitment: An integrative approach. In J. M. Adams & W. H. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal commitment and relationship stability (pp. 407-424). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

Canary, D. J. , & Emmers-Sommer, T. M. (1997). Sex and sex differences in personal relationships. New York: Guilford Press.

Canary, D. J. , & Stafford, L. (1992). Relational maintenance strategies and equity in marriage. Communication Monographs, 59, 243-267.

Dainton, M. , Stafford, L. , & Canary, D. J. (1994). Maintenance strategies and physical affection as predictors of love, liking, and satisfaction in marriage. Communication Reports, 7, 89-98.

Fehr, B. (1988). Protocol analysis of the concepts of love and commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 557-579.

Gergen, K. J. (1994). Realities and relationships: Soundings in social construction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Huston, T. L. , McHale, S. , & Crouter, A. (1986). When the honeymoon's over: Changes in the marriage relationship over the first year. In R. Gilmour & S. Duck (Eds.), The emerging field of personal relationships (pp. 109-132). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

10.

Johnson, M. P. (1999). Personal, moral, and structural commitment to relationships: Experiences of choice and constraint. In J. M. Adams & W. H. Jones (Eds.), Handbook of inter-personal commitment and relationship stability (pp. 73-87). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

11.

Kelley, H. H. , & Thibaut, J. W. (1978). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. New York: Wiley.

12.

Knapp, M. L. , & Taylor, E. H. (1994). Commitment and its communication in romantic relationships. In A. L. Weber & J. H. Harvey (Eds.), Perspectives on close relationships (pp. 153-175). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

13.

Knapp, M. L. , & Vangelisti, A. (2000). Interpersonal communication and human relationships (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

14.

Levinger, G. (1965). Marital cohesiveness and dissolution: An integrative review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 27, 19-28.

15.

Marston, P. J. , Hecht, M. L. , Manke, M. L. , McDaniel, S. , & Reeder, H. (1998). The subjective experience of intimacy, passion, and commitment in heterosexual loving relationships. Personal Relationships, 5, 15-30.

16.

Myers, R. (1990). Classical and modem regression with applications (2nd ed.). Boston: Duxbury Press.

17.

Parks, M. R. (1997). Communication networks and relationship life cycles. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships (2nd ed.) (pp. 352-372). New York: Wiley.

18.

Ragsdale, J. D. (1996). Sex, satisfaction level, and the use of relational maintenance strategies in marriage. Communication Monographs, 63, 354-369.

19.

Rusbult, C. E. (1983). A longitudinal test of the investment model: The development (and deterioration) of satisfaction and commitment in heterosexual involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 101-117.

20.

Rusbult, C. E. , Martz, J. M. , & Agnew, C. R. (1998). The Investment Model Scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5, 357-387.

21.

Shotter, J. (1993). Conversational realities: Constructing life through language. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

22.

Tannen, D. (1990). You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation. New York: Morrow.

23.

Wood, J. T. (1993). Ensexed relations: Interaction, caring, power, and responsibility in intimacy. In S. W. Duck (Ed.), Understanding relationship processes, Vol. 3: Social context and relationships (pp. 26-54). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

24.

Wood, J. T. (1995). Relational communication: Continuity and change in personal relationships. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

25.

Yerby, J. (1995). Family systems theory reconsidered: Integrating social construction theory and dialectical process. Communication Theory, 5, 339-365.

26.

Yerby, J. , Buerkel-Rothfuss, N. , & Bochner, A. P. (1995). Understanding family communication. Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick.