Commitment to Dating Relationships and Cross-Sex Friendships in America and China

Abstract

A cross-sectional survey study examined commitment processes in the dating relationships and cross-sex friendships of young adults residing in the United States or Taiwan. Feelings of commitment were stronger in relationships with greater satisfaction, poorer quality alternatives, greater investment size and greater centrality of relationship. However, there was little evidence that commitment was influenced by normative support for a relationship. The relationship between commitment and satisfaction was stronger for dating relationships than for friendships, as was the relationship between commitment and alternatives. Dispositions appeared to affect commitment primarily in indirect ways. For example, self-esteem, psychological femininity and perspective-taking were associated with features of interdependence such as perceived alternative quality or willingness to invest, which in turn were related to feelings of commitment. Finally, Americans reported weaker commitment than would be expected given other features of their interdependence with partners. The port and extend the generalizability of Rusbult's investment model.