University of Essex Department of Psychology PS407-5-AU: Introduction to Social Psychology Thought piece III (Group B)

Couple married for 86 year: A life full of joy and satisfaction? 1005080

Date: /01/2012 Word count: 600 words

The present thought piece intends to present The Investment Model of Commitment Processes developed by Rusbult (1983) in relation to Mr. and Ms. Chand marriage. Karam, 106 years old and Kartari Chand, 99 years old, are an Indian couple living in United Kingdom who has been married for 86 years, having several offspring together. This paper shows how each underlying cause of commitment proposed by Rusbult can be grasped from the circumstances of Kartari and Karam Chand, presented in the cited source. The argument of the present paper was that there is evidence in the article that supports the preposition of the Investment Model: positive affect is an important factor but not the only one that matters in understanding the causes of commitment. Satisfaction levels describe the degree to which a person experiences positive versus negative affect as a result of involvement in a relationship. The greater is the extent

someones needs are gratified, the more satisfaction he feels and, furthermore, the more dependable that person becomes to his or her partner (Rusbult, Agnew & Arriga, 2012) Mrs. Chand revealed that their companionship needs are highly satisfied; even after 86 years they enjoy activities they are doing together such as eating meals or going to the temple. High satisfaction levels are also suggested in a confession Mrs. Chand did: we really have lived a good life (see appendix, page2, line23). Dependence to the partner also decreases or increases consistently with how the best available alternatives are perceived (Rusbult, Agnew & Arriga, 2012). There is not too much direct evidence in the article about the existence of available alternatives but as we find out from the source, their family is a traditional Indian family. Furthermore, as both husbands were coming from traditional Indian families, makes their marriage very likely to have been an arranged marriage. This suggests that they both had low quality alternatives. Moreover, being a minority in a foreign country may also impact on the availability of alternatives. However, we could consider, here, one limitation of the model proposed by Rusbult: the

cultural differences are not accounted for. Looking at the divorce rate in Indian marriages we could easily that understand sometimes quality of alternatives is not very important as divorce itself is not often perceived as an option. Thirdly, dependence is influenced by the magnitude and importance of the resources that become attached to a relationship that would be lost or declined in value if the relationship were to end. When investing, a partner increases connections to the partner that would be costly to alienate (Rusbult, Agnew & Arriga, 2012). Chand spouses had deep ties that bind them together considering they had several children and offspring together. The young age they were when they got married contributed to the strong foundation for their lasting relationship. As it was argued previously, the Chand spouses have found great satisfaction in their relationship, they had low quality alternatives and they invested heavily during a long period of time. All these factors made them feel strong dependence to the partner. As people become increasingly dependent they tend to form a strong intention to stay together. The partners perceive themselves as being connected and develop a strong relational identity and a sense of we-ness which can be sensed in Mrs. Kartaris sentence: we had a good life (Agnew et al., 1998). Previously, each underlying factor that impacts on commitment have been presented and by making use of the story of Mr. and Mrs. Chand, it has been shown that commitment, not purely high levels of satisfaction, is the required foundation for an enduring relationship.

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16441633

Reference List:

Agnew, C.R., Van Lange, P., Rusbult, C.E. and Langston, C.A. (1998) Cognitive interdependence: Commitment and and the mental representation of close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 939-954.

Rusbult, C. I. E., Agnew, C. R., and Arriaga X. B.(2012).The Investment Model of Commitment Processes in Van Lange, P. A. M., Kruglanski, A. W., & Higgins, E. T. (Eds.), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology ( Vol. 2, pp.218- 228). London: SAGE.