ABSTRACT
Lasting commitment is a goal for most romantic couples. This chapter summarizes one of the most popular and scientifically supported approaches to understanding relationship commitment, the investment model of commitment processes. It presents work and new data regarding one important consequence of commitment, the development of cognitive biases in views of one's partner. The chapter addresses the investment model and cognitive bias findings to help understand the situations faced by two couple cases, one with seemingly positive and healthy dynamics and one with more apparent negative and abusive dynamics. The investment model is very popular among theorists and researchers, likely because it is both intuitively appealing and because it has received decades of empirical support. The investment model of commitment processes suggests that it is a function of the combination of satisfaction, alternatives, and investments, and studies show that higher commitment is associated with more partner-serving cognitive biases.
