Commitment, Relational Uncertainty, and the Investment Model

ABSTRACT

Based on Rusbult’s investment model and Knobloch and Solomon’s conceptualization of relational uncertainty, this study investigated how uncertainty in romantic relationships affected satisfaction, quality of alternatives, investments, and commitment. 343 adults in romantic relationships completed measures of relational uncertainty, satisfaction, investment size, quality of alternatives, and commitment. Results indicated that relational uncertainty was negatively related to satisfaction, investment, and commitment, and positively related to quality of alternatives. Relational uncertainty moderated the relationship between satisfaction and commitment. The satisfaction-commitment relationship was quite strong at low levels of relational uncertainty, but as relational uncertainty increased the satisfaction-commitment relationship weakened and eventually become nonsignificant.

KEYWORDS:

• Relational uncertainty
• investment model
• commitment
• relational satisfaction
• romantic relationships

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2024.2351367.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alan C. Mikkelson

Alan C. Mikkelson (PhD, Arizona State University, 2006) is a professor of speech communication at Whitworth University. His research examines interpersonal communication in the workplace, leadership, and relational communication.

Colter D. Ray

Colter D. Ray (PhD, Arizona State University, 2018) is an assistant professor of communication at the University of Tampa. His research examines supportive communication, loneliness, and compassion within personal relationships.