Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships

The present work advances and tests an interdependence-based model of the a ssociations among commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust. Finding s from two longitudinal studies revealed good support for model predictions . Commitment-inspired acts such as accommodation and willingness to sacrifi ce provide diagnostic information regarding a partner's pro-relationship mo tives. Individuals come to trust their partners when they perceive that the ir partners have enacted pro-relationship behaviors, departing from their d irect self-interest for the good of the relationship. The results of mediat ion analyses are consistent with a model of mutual cyclical growth in which (a) dependence promotes strong commitment, (b) commitment promotes pro-rel ationship acts, (c) pro-relationship acts are perceived by the partner, (d) the perception of pro-relationship acts enhances the partner's trust, and (e) trust increases the partner's willingness to become dependent on the re lationship. Auxiliary analyses revealed that self-reported attachment style does not account for substantial variance beyond the features of interdepe ndence that form the basis for the present model.