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Principle of Least Interest
Abstract
The principle of least interest suggests that the person who is least interested in maintaining a relationship can most easily walk away from the relationship. This concept is associated with power and control in social relationships and is most often associated with social exchange theory.
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Data from a longitudinal sample of dating couples (some of whom married) were analyzed to test the aspect of Waller’s (1938) principle of least interest that states that unequal emotional involvement between romantic partners has implications for relationship quality and stability. Both members of the couples were asked multiple times over several years which partner, if either, was more emotionally involved. Perceptions of unequal emotional involvement were common and tended to remain stable over time. Less emotionally involved partners perceived themselves as having more control over the continuation of their relationships. Equal emotional involvement was associated with greater relationship satisfaction and stability. Concurrent and retrospective perceptions of relative emotional involvement were associated with several aspects of relationship breakup within the subsample of those who broke up during the study. Perceptions of emotional involvement have many implications for dating couples, including being linked to relationship satisfaction and other outcomes.
In this complete revision of Waller's book first published in 1938 (see
14: 2546), Hill has added 8 new chapters and substantially modified 7 of the remaining 17. After considering the parental family and its imposed relationships, the processes of mate finding, marriage, parenthood, and family disorganization are treated in detail. The final chapter proposes "changes in family designs" while the appendix "concerns the control activities served by habits in the stabilization and intergration of personality." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)