Extra relationship involvement among women: Are they different from men?

Factors related to three types of Extra Relationship Involvement (ERI) in w omen were explored: emotional ERI, sexual ERI, and a combination of sexual and emotional ERIs. A model. based on a decision-making model of male ERI a nd the additional variable of commitment, was evaluated The research involv ed two studies with female participants (N = 112, N = 44) who had been invo lved in heterosexual relationships of at least 6-month duration, The major finding M as that women engage in emotional and combined ERIs but rarely en ter into solely sexual ERIs. It was demonstrated that social norms, plannin g, relationship satisfaction, and commitment were influential in predicting emotional and combined ERI intentions. Past ERI behavior was a strong pred ictor of future emotional and combined ERI behavior bur planning also added to the prediction of combined ERI behavior: Women who had engaged in emoti onal ERIs and combined ERIs indicated romantic affect as the main reason fo r their ERI behavior. Overall, it was demonstrated that women's intentions to engage in ERI were related to cognitive processes and relationship varia bles, and that ERI behavior, although generally habitual, was also predicte d br cognitive processes.