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Perceived Partner Commitment and Attachment Style

Clinical Implications of a Cognitive Perspective

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Handbook of Interpersonal Commitment and Relationship Stability

Part of the book series: Perspectives on Individual Differences ((PIDF))

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Abstract

Commitment is an important correlate of many relationship variables, including length of the relationship (Hendrick, Hendrick, & Adler, 1988), likelihood of breakup (Lund, 1985), relationship satisfaction (Acker & Davis, 1992), and partner satisfaction (Hendrick et al., 1988). Accordingly, commitment is of interest to marital therapists both as a potential predictor of therapy outcome and as an outcome in its own right (Beach & Broderick, 1983). However, because differences in commitment reflect deeply rooted individual differences in beliefs about the importance of relationships, the trustworthiness and availability of others, and one’s own ability to maintain a relationship, many therapists and marital researchers views commitment as relatively refractory to therapeutic intervention. In the current chapter, we hope to develop a cognitive characterization of commitment that will generate less pessimistic predictions about the possibility of change in level of commitment and may point toward new possible technologies for producing change in level of felt commitment and in perceived partner commitment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, USA

    Joseph L. Etherton

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, USA

    Steven R. H. Beach

Authors
  1. Joseph L. Etherton
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  2. Steven R. H. Beach
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. High Point University, High Point, North Carolina, USA

    Jeffrey M. Adams

  2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

    Warren H. Jones

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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Etherton, J.L., Beach, S.R.H. (1999). Perceived Partner Commitment and Attachment Style. In: Adams, J.M., Jones, W.H. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Commitment and Relationship Stability. Perspectives on Individual Differences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4773-0_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4773-0_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7161-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4773-0

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