Abstract
As evidenced by this volume, research on commitment has expanded in numerous directions, contributing substantially to our understanding of how and why interpersonal ties are made, maintained, and broken. Through these efforts, scholars interested in interpersonal processes have begun to answer long-standing questions about the stability and fragility of human social connections and by so doing have provided people with many tools with which they might improve, repair, and understand their relationships with others. In order to maintain this progress, however, it is essential that researchers recognize which questions remain to be answered and which areas of prior scholarship should be reexamined. In view of this need, the goal of the present chapter is to provide an outline for future efforts that might further strengthen the empirical and theoretical bases of scholarship on commitment and extend its reach into the broader realm of interpersonal dynamics.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adams, J. M., Couch, L. L., Kelly, K. M., & Jones, W. H. (1999). Personality as a predictor of commitment in close relationships. Unpublished manuscript, High Point University, High Point, NC.
Adams, J. M., & Jones, W. H. (1995). Interpersonal commitment: An integrative review. Unpublished manuscript, High Point University, High Point, NC.
Adams, J. M., & Jones, W. H. (1997). The conceptualization of marital commitment: An integrative analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1177–1196.
Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1967). Infancy in Uganda. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hilsdale, NJ: Earlbaum.
Albrecht, S. L., & Kunz, P. R. (1980). The decision to divorce: A social exchange perspective. Journal of Divorce, 3, 319–337.
Bargh, J. A. (1994). The four horsemen of automaticity: Awareness, intention, efficiency and control in social cognition. In R. S. Wyer & T. K. Srull (Eds.), Handbook of social cognition (2nd ed., pp. 1–40). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Strauss, J. P. (1993). Conscientiousness and performance of sales representatives: Test of the mediating effects of goal setting. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 715–722.
Becker, H. S. (1960). Notes on the concept of commitment. American Journal of Sociology, 66, 32–40.
Berg, J. H. (1984). Development of friendship between roommates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 346–356.
Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. (1978). Interpersonal attraction (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Welsey.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley.
Bowlby, J. (1958). The nature of the child’s tie to his mother. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 39, 350–373.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. I. Attachment. London: Hogarth Press.
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Anxiety and anger. London: Hogarth Press.
Bradbury, T. N., & Fincham, F. D. (1988). Individual difference variables in close relationships: A contextual model of marriage as an integrative framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 713–721.
Brewer, S. J. (1993). Reconceptualizing marital commitment: An interpretive interactional, qualitative study. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Clark, M. S. (1984). Record keeping in two types of relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 549–577.
Clark, M. S., & Mills, J. R. (1979). Interpersonal attraction in exchange and communal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 12–24.
Clark, M. S., Mills, J. R., & Powell, M. C. (1986). Keeping track of needs in communal and exchange relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 333–338.
Cotterell, N., Eisenberger, R., & Speicher, H. (1992). Inhibiting effects of reciprocation wariness on interpersonal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 658–668.
Driscoll, R., Davis, K. E., & Lipetz, M. E. (1972). Parental interference and romantic love: The Romeo and Juliet effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 1–10.
Duffy, S. M., & Rusbult, C. E. (1985–1986). Satisfaction and commitment in homosexual and heterosexual relationships. Journal of Homosexuality, 12, 1–23.
Edwards, W. (1954). The theory of decision making. Psychological Bulletin, 51, 380–417.
Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1964). Insight and responsibility. New York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton.
Fairbairn, W. R. D. (1941). A revised psychopathology of the psychoses and psychoneuroses. In Psychoanalytic studies of the personality (pp. 28–58). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Fairbairn, W. R. D. (1952). Psychoanalytic studies of the personality (2nd ed.). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.
Fiske, S. T., & Taylor S. (1991). Social cognition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gelles, R. J. (1976). Abused wives: Why do they stay? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 659–668.
Gonzalez, R., & Griffin, D. (1997). On the statistics of interdependence: Treating dyadic data with respect. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships (2nd ed., pp. 271–302). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
Gottman, J. M. (1994). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Green, R. G., & Sporakowski, M. J. (1983). The dynamics of divorce: Marital quality, alternative attractions and external pressures. Journal of Divorce, 7, 77–88.
Greenwald, A. G. (1992). New look 3: Unconscious cognition reclaimed. American Psychologist, 47, 766–779.
Guntrip, H. (1961). Personality structure and human interaction. London: Hogarth Press.
Guntrip, H. (1968). Schizoid phenomena, object-relations and the self. London: Hogarth Press.
Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York: Wiley.
Homans, G. C. (1958). Social behavior as exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 63, 597–607.
Jayroe, K. E. (1979). Marital adjustment as a function of commitment and self actualization. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, East Texas State University, Commerce.
Johnson, D. J., & Rusbult, C. E. (1989). Resisting temptation: Devaluation of alternative partners as a means of maintaining commitment in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 967–980.
Johnson, M. P. (1973). Commitment: A conceptual structure and empirical application. Sociological Quarterly, 14, 395–406.
Johnson, M. P. (1985, October). Commitment, cohesion, investment, barriers, alternatives, constraint: Why do people stay together when they really don’t want to? Paper presented at the Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, National Council on Family Relations, Dallas, TX.
Johnson, M. P. (1991). Commitment to personal relationships. In W. H. Jones & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: A research annual (Vol. 3, pp. 117–143). London: Jessica Kingsley.
Kanter, R. M. (1968). Commitment and social organization: A study of commitment mechanisms in Utopian societies. American Sociological Review, 33, 499–517.
Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995a). Assessing longitudinal change in marriage: An introduction to the analysis of growth curves. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 1091–1108.
Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995b). The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, method, and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 3–34.
Kelley, H. H. (1983). Love and commitment. In H. Kelley, E. Berscheid, A. Christensen, J. Harvey, T. Huston, G. Levinger, I. McClintock, L. A. Peplau, & D. Peterson (Eds.), Close relationships (pp. 265–314). New York: W. H. Freeman.
Kelley, H. H., & Thibaut, J. W. (1978). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. New York: Wiley.
Kenney, D. A. (1988). The analysis of data from two-person relationships. In S. W. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships (pp. 57–77). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
Kiesler, C. A. (1971). The psychology of commitment. New York: Academic Press.
Kiesler, C. A., & Corbin, H. (1965). Commitment, attraction, and conformity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2, 890–895.
Kihlstrom, J. F., Barnhardt, T. M., & Tataryn, D. J. (1992). The psychological unconscious: Found, lost, and regained. American Psychologist, 47, 788–791.
Kimmons, N. (1981). Marital commitment: An assessment of the normative and interpersonal dimensions. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Florida State University, Tallahassee.
Kobasa, S. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality, and health: An inquiry into hardiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1–11.
Kobasa, S. C. (1982). The hardy personality: Toward a social psychology of stress and health. In G. Sanders & J. Suls (Eds.), Social psychology of health and illness (pp. 3–32). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Kobasa, S. C., Maddi, S. R., & Courington, S. (1981). Personality and constitution as mediators in the stress-illness relationship. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 368–378.
Kobasa, S. C., Maddi, S. R., & Kahn, S. (1982). Hardiness and health: A prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 168–177.
Kobasa, S. C., & Puccetti, M. C. (1983). Personality and social resources in stress resistance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 839–850.
Lawler, E. J., & Yoon, J. (1996). Commitment in exchange relations: Test of a theory of relational cohesion. American Sociological Review, 61, 89–108.
Levinger, G. (1965). Marital cohesiveness and dissolution: An integrative review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 27, 19–28.
Levinger, G. (1979a). Marital cohesiveness at the brink: The fate of applications for divorce. In G. Levinger & O. C. Moles (Eds.), Divorce and separation: Context, causes and consequences (pp. 136–150). New York: Basic Books.
Levinger, G. (1979b). A social exchange view on the dissolution of pair relationships. In R. L. Burgess & T. L. Huston (Eds.), Social exchange in developing relationships (pp. 169–193). San Diego: Academic Press.
Levinger, G. (1979c). A social psychological perspective on marital dissolution. In G. Levinger & O. C. Moles (Eds.), Divorce and separation: Context, causes and consequences (pp. 136–150). New York: Basic Books.
Lewin, K. (1948). The background of conflict in marriage. In G. W. Lewin (Ed.), Resolving social conflicts: Selected papers on group dynamics (pp. 84–102). New York: Harper.
McAdams, D. P. (1980). A thematic coding system for the intimacy motive. Journal of Research in Personality, 14, 413–432.
McAdams, D. P. (1982). Intimacy motivation. In A. J. Stewart (Ed.), Motivation and society (pp. 133–171). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
McAdams, D. P. (1991). Motives. In V. J. Derlega, B. A. Winstead, & W. H. Jones (Eds.), Personality: Contemporary theory and research (pp. 175–204). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
McAdams, D. P., & Constantian, C. A. (1983). Intimacy and affiliation motives in daily living: An experience sampling analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 851–861.
McAdams, D. P., Jackson, R. J., & Kirshnit, C. (1984). Looking, laughing, and smiling in dyads as a function of intimacy motivation and reciprocity. Journal of Personality, 52, 261–273.
McAdams, D. P., & Powers, J. (1981). Themes of intimacy in behavior and thought. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 573–587.
McClelland, D. C. (1985). Human motivation. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
Melcher, C. R. (1989). Marital commitment as related to marital satisfaction, religiosity, and parental divorce. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
Morrow, G. D. (1988). The impact of romantic ideals in satisfaction and commitment in romantic relationships: An investigation of the role of the comparison level in the investment model. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
Murray, H. A. (1938). Explorations in personality. New York: Oxford University Press.
Murstein, B. I., Cerreto, M., & MacDonald, M. G. (1977). A theory and investigation of the effect of exchange-orientation on marriage and friendship. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 39, 543–548.
Murstein, B. I., & MacDonald, M. G. (1983). The relationship of “exchange-orientation” and “commitment” scales to marriage adjustment. International Journal of Psychology, 18, 297–311.
Pramann, R. E, Jr. (1986). Commitment to spouse and God: The relationship among measures of marital commitment and spiritual maturity. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, Portland, OR.
Robinson, L. C., & Blanton, P. W. (1993). Marital strengths in enduring marriages. Family Relations, 42, 38–45.
Rusbult, C. E. (1980). Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: A test of the investment model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16, 172–186.
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.
Rusbult, C. E. (1991). Commentary on Johnson’s “Commitment to personal relationship”: What’s interesting, and what’s new? In W. H. Jones & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: A research annual (Vol. 3, pp. 151–169). London: Jessica Kingsley.
Rusbult, C. E., Johnson, D. J., & Morrow, G. D. (1986a). Predicting satisfaction and commitment in adult romantic involvements: An assessment of the generalizability of the investment model. Social Psychology Quarterly, 49, 81–89.
Rusbult, C. E., Johnson, D. J., & Morrow, G. D. (1986b). Impact of couple patterns of problem solving on distress and nondistress in dating relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 744–753.
Rusbult, C. E., Johnson, D. J., & Morrow, G. D. (1986c). Determinants and consequences of exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect: Responses to dissatisfaction in adult romantic involvements. Human Relations, 39, 45–63.
Rusbult, C. E., & van Lange, P. A. M. (1996). Interdependence processes. In E. T. Higgins & A. W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (pp. 564–596). New York: Guilford.
Rusbult, C. E., & Verette, J. (1991). An interdependence analysis of accommodation processes in close relationships. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 19, 3–33.
Rusbult, C. E., Verette, J., Whitney, G. A., Slovik, L. F., & Lipkus, I. (1991). Accommodation processes in close relationships: Theory and preliminary empirical evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 53–78.
Rusbult, C. E., & Zembrodt, I. M. (1983). Responses to dissatisfaction in romantic involvements: A multidimensional scaling analysis. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 274–293.
Rusbult, C. E., & Zembrodt, I. M., & Gunn, L. K. (1982). Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect: Responses to dissatisfaction in romantic involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 1230–1242.
Sabatelli, R. M. (1988). Measurement issues in marital research: A review and critique of contemporary survey instruments. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 891–915.
Sabatelli, R. M., & Cecil-Pigo, E. F. (1985). Relational interdependence and commitment in marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 931–937.
Sabatelli, R. M., Dreyer, A., & Buck, R. (1983). Cognitive style and relationship quality in married dyads. Journal of Personality, 51, 192–201.
Schaubroeck, J., & Williams, S. (1993). Type A behavior pattern and escalating commitment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 862–867.
Singer, M. S., & Singer, A. E. (1986). Individual differences and the escalation of commitment paradigm. Journal of Social Psychology, 126, 197–204.
Spain, J. S., Adams, J. M., Scott, C., & Zimmerman, B. A. (1998, May). The personality correlates of the three dimensions of commitment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Society, Washington, DC.
Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (1992). Assessing commitment in personal relationships. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 595–608.
Staw, B. M. (1976). Knee-deep in the big muddy: A study of escalating commitment to a chosen course of action. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 27–44.
Staw, B. M. (1981). The escalation of commitment to a course of action. Academy of Management Review, 6, 577–587.
Staw, B. M., & Fox, F. (1977). Escalation: Some determinants of commitment to a previously chosen course of action. Human Relations, 30, 431–450.
Strube, M. J. (1988). The decision to leave an abusive relationship: Empirical evidence and theoretical issues. Psychological Bulletin, 104, 236–250.
Strube, M. J., & Barbour, L. S. (1983). The decision to leave an abusive relationship: Economic dependence and psychological commitment. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 785–793.
Surra, C. A. (1985). Courtship types: Variations in interdependence between partners and social networks. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 357–375.
Surra, C. A. (1987). Reasons for changes in commitment: Variations by courtship type. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 4, 17–33.
Surra, C. A., Arizzi, P., & Asmussen, L. A. (1988). The association between reasons for commitment and the development and outcome of marital relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 5, 47–63.
Thibaut, J. W., & Kelley, H. H. (1959). The social psychology of groups. New York: Wiley.
Winnicott, D. W. (1958). Collected papers: Through pediatrics to psycho-analysis. New York: Basic Books.
Winnicott, D. W. (1965). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development. New York: International Universities Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Adams, J.M. (1999). Future Directions for Commitment Research. In: Adams, J.M., Jones, W.H. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Commitment and Relationship Stability. Perspectives on Individual Differences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4773-0_29
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4773-0_29
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7161-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4773-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive