Examining the Communication of Personal Commitment: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model Analysis

This study assessed how individuals' personal commitment relates to their own and their partners' communication of commitment using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Kashy & Kenny, 2000). Premarital couples (N = 65) completed a questionnaire and a conversation task. Raters then evaluated the clarity (i.e., intensity, explicitness, repetition) of communication during conversations on commitment-indicative topics (Knapp, 1989; Knapp & Taylor, 1994). Results suggested females' personal commitment is associated with clear communication of their own and their partners' commitment during conversation about future rewards, as well as their partner's commitment during conversation about family and friends. Males' personal commitment is associated with clear communication of their own commitment during conversation about affection and caring. Evidence for the link between personal commitment and the communication of commitment was shown, along with the suggested importance of mutual influence affecting couples' personal commitment.