Intimate Partner Violence: Satisficing or Maximizing? Examining Indicators of Relationship Commitment

Abstract

The negative impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV) have the potential to reach each physical, psychological, social, and spiritual realm of a victim's experience. The motive for women to remain in such violent relationships has been examined in relation to a number of different factors, including the fear of escalating violence, sociological barriers, and situational factors. To date, however, research on the sustainability of violent relationships has failed to investigate the way the decision making tendency to settle for less (satisfice) or to seek the best option (maximize) may affect relationship commitment in IPV situations. The first research question addressed in this study, therefore, was to examine the best fitting structural model for violence, satisficing, and relationship commitment through the use of hierarchical multiple regression. Additionally, moral and structural constraints have been shown to play a large role in both why women might remain in violent relationships, and in relationship commitment. The second research question addressed in this study, therefore, was whether and how violence, satisficing, and relationship commitment share similar correlations when moral and structural constraints are controlled for. Data came from a statewide survey of Texan residents, the Texas Healthy Marriage Initiative Baseline Survey Project, and included 470 people who indicated some form of violence within their current relationship. Results from the study indicate that satisficing and structural constraints were strongly associated with relationship commitment when severity of aggression, marital status, and moral constraints were held constant. Results also indicate that satisficing and maximizing may be measuring two separate concepts as opposed to one construct on a continuum. Implications for clinicians working with individuals in violent relationships and directions for future research in this area are discussed.