Prototype analysis of the concepts of love and commitment.

Abstract

I analyzed lay conceptions of love and commitment from a prototype perspective. In Study 1, subjects listed the features of love and/or commitment. In Study 2, centrality (prototypicality) ratings of these features were obtained. In Study 3, central features were found to be more salient in memory than peripheral features. In Study 4, it was shown that it sounded peculiar to hedge central but not peripheral features. In Study 5, central features of love were expected to be more applicable than peripheral features as relationships increased in love. Similarly for commitment, central features were expected to be more applicable than peripheral features as relationships increased in commitment. In Study 6, violations of central features of love were perceived as contributing to a greater decrease in love than were violations of peripheral features. Similarly, violations of central features of commitment were perceived as contributing to a greater decrease in commitment than were violations of peripheral features. Concerning the relation between love and commitment, I concluded that the findings across several studies fit best with Kelley's (1983) description of these concepts as largely overlapping but partially independent. "Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage— you can't have one without the other." The words of this old song are relevant to the contemporary issue of how love and commitment are related. Although not everyone agrees that "you can't have one without the other," few would disagree that love and commitment are of crucial importance in people's lives. Kelley (1983) has listed a number of reasons why the concepts of love and commitment deserve scientific attention. First, the kinds of questions people ask about their own relationships almost invariably involve love and commitment issues (e.g., "How can I be sure my partner loves me?" "How can I get my partner to make a commitment to our relationship?") Second, the analysis of these concepts "takes us deeply into the personal and interpersonal processes involved in the formation and continuation of close heterosexual relationships" (p. 267). Finally,