Commitment: Functions, Formation, and the Securing of Romantic Attachment

TLDR

The paper reviews core concepts of relationship commitment to lay a foundation for discussing its role in long‑term romantic relationships and marriages. The authors examine commitment’s stabilizing effect on attachment and analyze empirical cohabitation studies to show how common developmental trajectories can erode commitment formation. The review highlights that commitment is increasingly vital in companionate marriages, while also revealing dynamics that can weaken romantic commitments, particularly in marriage.

Abstract

In this theoretical paper, we review central concepts in the psychological literature on relationship commitment to provide a foundation to discuss two themes related to long-term romantic relationships and marriages. First, we describe and discuss the role that commitment plays in stabilizing romantic attachment. Second, we use empirical research on cohabitation to highlight how the formation of commitment can be undermined by what are now common trajectories of couple development. The first topic underscores an increasingly important role for commitment in an age of companionate marriage. The second topic draws attention to dynamics that can affect the strength of romantic commitments, especially in marriage.