Relative involvement, inadequacy, and jealousy

Jealousy and commitment: Perceived threat and the effect of relationship alternatives

“…Decreasing the attractiveness of relationship alternatives should result in more threatening appraisals of jealousy-evoking situations, whereas increasing the attractiveness of relationship alternatives should decrease amount of threat perceived in jealousy-evoking situations (e.g., Bush et al, 1988;Kelley, 1979;Radjecki-Bush et al, 1993;Shettel-Neuber et al, 1978;White, 1981); however, these appraisals should depend on the level of commitment in the current romantic relationship (e.g., Bringle, 1991;Buunk, 1991;White, 1991;White & Mullen, 1989). Specifically, individuals in more committed relationships who perceive having unattractive relationship alternatives should react more jealously when their relationship is threatened because their stake in the current relationship is especially large and their alternatives are unappealing.…”

“…Indeed, correlational data suggest that as individuals are more committed in relationships, they perceive more threat in jealousyevoking situations (e.g., Buunk, 1991;White, 1981). But even though many theories 1.…”

“…Several theories of jealousy predict that relationship commitment and the attractiveness of relationship alternatives should interact to facilitate the expression of jealousy because to the extent that individuals are more committed to their relationship and perceive that they have unattractive dating alternatives, a jealousy-evoking situation should be perceived as especially threatening to the self, to the relationship, and to the emotional, temporal, and material investments put into the relationship (e.g., Bringle, 1991;Bush, Bush, & Jennings, 1988;Buunk, 1991;Hansen, 1991;Radjecki-Bush, Farrell, & Bush, 1993;White, 1981White, , 1991White & Mullen, 1989). Although men and women react differently to threat, evolutionary theory predicts that cognitive mechanisms are activated when a romantic relationship is threatened (e.g., Buss, 2000).…”

“…A correlational approach is a reasonable first step in understanding the relation between perceptions of relationship commitment and jealousy because greater perceptions of commitment should be related to greater distress in response to a jealousy-evoking event. Indeed, the literature on jealousy has generally supported this supposition (e.g., Buunk, 1982Buunk, , 1991Buunk & Bringle, 1987;Mathes, 1986;Mathes & Severa, 1981;White, 1981).…”

“…For example, it has been demonstrated that constructs examining the interdependence of the romantic relationship (e.g., dependency, investment, satisfaction, comparison level of alternatives [CLalt], commitment) are important correlates of jealousy (e.g., White, 1981;White & Mullen). Although this research has been important for theoretical conceptualizations of jealousy (e.g., Buunk), most (if not all) of this research is correlational and none of it examines the processes that underlie the association between jealousy and commitment or explores possible moderators of this relation.…”