Rusbult

Rusbult is a surname. The most notable bearer in public sources is Caryl E. Rusbult, an American social psychologist renowned for developing the Investment Model of Commitment Processes. This framework explains why people remain in or leave romantic relationships by examining three factors: satisfaction with the relationship, the attractiveness of available alternatives, and the amount of investment put into the relationship. According to the model, high satisfaction, unattractive alternatives, and substantial investments contribute to stronger commitment and greater relationship persistence, while low satisfaction, appealing alternatives, or low investments can lead to weaker commitment and a higher likelihood of dissolution. The model has influenced a broad range of related research, including studies on forgiveness, accommodation, and responses to relationship conflict, and it has been widely cited in the fields of social psychology and relationship science.

Beyond Rusbult’s contributions, the surname is not widely associated with other widely recognized figures in public academic or popular contexts. As with many surnames, there may be individuals bearing Rusbult in various fields, but Caryl E. Rusbult remains the most prominently noted in scholarly discussions of relationship psychology.