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Commitment strength versus commitment bolstering: Uncertainty undermines and promotes relationship success.

Vanessa Sawicki¹, Christopher R Agnew²

¹Ohio State University-Marion.

The Journal of Social Psychology

|April 28, 2020

Summary

Relationship commitment

Keywords:

Attitude strength commitment investment model relationship stability uncertainty

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Relationship Science

Background:

Limited research exists on factors influencing commitment's impact on relationship outcomes.
Existing theories, such as the investment model, do not fully explain commitment's variability in predicting relationship success.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate uncertainty as a moderator of commitment's predictive power in relationships.
To integrate attitude strength and investment model perspectives to understand commitment dynamics.
To explore how uncertainty influences commitment's effect on relationship maintenance.

Main Methods:

The study integrated attitude strength and investment model perspectives.
Researchers examined how uncertainty moderates the relationship between commitment and relationship outcomes.
Multiple studies were conducted to test the proposed moderating effects of certainty.

Main Results:

Uncertainty can weaken commitment's predictive power when doubt is present.
Uncertainty can amplify commitment's effects on relationship maintenance when behaviors are perceived to have implications for uncertainty reduction.
Certainty was found to moderate the link between commitment and relationship outcomes across studies.

Conclusions:

Uncertainty's role in relationship commitment is complex, acting as both a potential weaken and strengthener.
The impact of uncertainty on commitment depends on an individual's focus and whether their actions are perceived to reduce uncertainty.
Findings highlight the nuanced role of certainty in relationship maintenance and commitment effectiveness.