THE MEANING AND MEASUREMENT OF COMMITMENT IN ADULT LIFE: AN INITIAL TEST
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to propose, measure, and test a concept of commitment in adult life. Three qualitatively different types of commitment, continuance, cohesion, and control were proposed. Each type was thought to manifest itself in an individual's behaviors, beliefs, and behavioral intentions. Attitude measurement techniques were used to develop behavioral, belief, and intention measures of each of the three types of commitment. The proposed concept of commitment and the measures were tested using structural equation modeling. Independent samples of 151 males and 70 females were drawn and three separate life areas, parents, partner and career were considered--a total of six data sets. Two theoretical modifications were suggested by the data. First, the proposed three-type conceptualization of commitment was not supported. Rather, a two-type conceptualization provided the best fit for all data sets. Second, commitment was manifested more strongly in beliefs than in behaviors or intentions. In terms of testing the measures, the three methods did not differ in the way they influenced the measures, but did differ in their psychometric properties. The results suggested that the belief measures of commitment were valid and reliable measures of commitment, while the behavioral and intention measures were unsatisfactory from a psychometric viewpoint.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Social psychology
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