Intrinsic and Extrinsic Commitment and the Relationship Deal
I already described the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic commitment in entry 98. I described the problem of a mismatch between a woman in search of intrinsic commitment with a man, who offers her anything except this, in entry 256. Also there is an extra page about what kind of relationship deal I am offering to my mindmate.
A relationship is a deal, and when people are entering a monogamous relationship, this decision is based upon the evaluation , that what they offer and what they expect to get is a fair balance. A man often enters a monogamous relationship for the purpose of acquiring a steady method of maintaining sexual homeostasis, when he subjectively wants to be decent in not abusing women or when he prefers this over the efforts needed to regularly chase new prey, of both. In return he offers, what he has to offer, what he is willing to offer, and what he believes that the woman wants.
Both intrinsic and extrinsic commitment start like this. But from then on, what women experience from bonding-disabled men limited to extrinsic commitment, and what they experience from mature high quality men able to give them intrinsic commitment, is very different.
1. Identity:
I already described the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic commitment in entry 98. I described the problem of a mismatch between a woman in search of intrinsic commitment with a man, who offers her anything except this, in entry 256. Also there is an extra page about what kind of relationship deal I am offering to my mindmate.
A relationship is a deal, and when people are entering a monogamous relationship, this decision is based upon the evaluation , that what they offer and what they expect to get is a fair balance. A man often enters a monogamous relationship for the purpose of acquiring a steady method of maintaining sexual homeostasis, when he subjectively wants to be decent in not abusing women or when he prefers this over the efforts needed to regularly chase new prey, of both. In return he offers, what he has to offer, what he is willing to offer, and what he believes that the woman wants.
Both intrinsic and extrinsic commitment start like this. But from then on, what women experience from bonding-disabled men limited to extrinsic commitment, and what they experience from mature high quality men able to give them intrinsic commitment, is very different.
1. Identity:
An intrinsically committed man changes his identity. By getting committed, he starts to experience and to perceive himself as half a couple, as part of a unit, as an ingroup consisting of two partners. He merges into being incomplete without the other half.
An extrinsically committed man experiences and perceives himself as continuing to be a single man with a woman attached, who requires some price to be paid regularly to keep her there. She is peripheral to his life. He does not need her, she is a body, that can be replaced. He experiences himself as someone protecting and defending his boundary and his space against someone, whom he wants to keep at a safe distance. He wants her body to be available, but she is supposed not to interfere too much with his life.
2. Deal:
For an intrinsically committed man, the calculating, how much he gives and how much he gets in return, ends with the subjective merging into a unit. From then on he experiences himself as acting in the best interest of the couple, who has joined forces in the shared competition with their environment. In his talking and in his thinking, he replaces 'I', 'me', 'mine' by 'we', 'us', 'our'.
An extrinsically committed man continues to evaluate the benefits of the relationship by book keeping, by which he keeps record, if he gets enough and does not give too much. He is ready to end the deal at any moment, when he experiences it as no more beneficial for himself.
3. Obligations:
An extrinsically committed man continues to evaluate the benefits of the relationship by book keeping, by which he keeps record, if he gets enough and does not give too much. He is ready to end the deal at any moment, when he experiences it as no more beneficial for himself.
3. Obligations:
An intrinsically committed man considers the obligations of the relationship governance not as restrictions or as a burden, because his partner and her behavior is important enough to value her being bound by the same obligations. He adheres to rules like not cheating, being bound by agreements, being honest, because it is for him the method to ascertain, that his partner's behavior is reliably determined by the same rules. He perceives not lying as a very fair price for his own need of a partner's honesty as a basis of mutual trust. He experiences mutual obligations as a part of making the relationship a safe haven for both of them.
An extrinsically committed man may consider it as a burden, when he has to pretend to be honest and try not to be caught lying., even though he is completely unconcerned and uninterested in what the woman says, be it honest or a lie. Her honesty has no value, because all he wants is her body. Not lying or not being caught lying is therefore for him an unpleasant price to pay to keep the woman available in bed. It is not a price that he perceives as worth paying for her honesty, if he does not care about it. He perceives all obligations as a restriction to his liberty, that he grudgingly pays to have her in bed.
4. Caring and Consideration:
An intrinsically committed man perceives his partner's wellbeing as equally important as his own. Whenever he is at the point of doing something, he automatically considers first, what impact his action would have on his partner. If he cannot know it, he asks her. He trusts her word, that she means, what she says and is honest about it. He feels responsible for every impact, that he has upon her. He cares to spare her pain and to fulfill her needs.
An extrinsically committed man thinks economically. He wants to get as much advantages as possible from his partner for the least cost, that makes her stay. He cares about a woman's wellbeing only, when she explicitly asks for it as a part of the deal. He ignores and denies her needs unless he is risking to loose her services in bed. When he cannot avoid caring for her needs, such a man bargains to get as much and pay as little as he can get away with.
5. Time Together:
An extrinsically committed man may consider it as a burden, when he has to pretend to be honest and try not to be caught lying., even though he is completely unconcerned and uninterested in what the woman says, be it honest or a lie. Her honesty has no value, because all he wants is her body. Not lying or not being caught lying is therefore for him an unpleasant price to pay to keep the woman available in bed. It is not a price that he perceives as worth paying for her honesty, if he does not care about it. He perceives all obligations as a restriction to his liberty, that he grudgingly pays to have her in bed.
4. Caring and Consideration:
An intrinsically committed man perceives his partner's wellbeing as equally important as his own. Whenever he is at the point of doing something, he automatically considers first, what impact his action would have on his partner. If he cannot know it, he asks her. He trusts her word, that she means, what she says and is honest about it. He feels responsible for every impact, that he has upon her. He cares to spare her pain and to fulfill her needs.
An extrinsically committed man thinks economically. He wants to get as much advantages as possible from his partner for the least cost, that makes her stay. He cares about a woman's wellbeing only, when she explicitly asks for it as a part of the deal. He ignores and denies her needs unless he is risking to loose her services in bed. When he cannot avoid caring for her needs, such a man bargains to get as much and pay as little as he can get away with.
5. Time Together:
An intrinsically committed man wants to be together with his partner and share those activities, where he can rejoice all the qualities, that she has in his evaluation. He clings to being with her, because being with her is rewarding.
An extrinsically committed man wants to have the woman in his bed in the night. If he shares other activities with her, this is not of any emotional benefit to him. As long as he gets his homeostasis, he can be content to spend a lot of time without her.
6. Being Together:
An intrinsically committed man would not even think of dumping a partner, because he perceives her as an essential part of his life, of himself in his identity as a merged unit. He feels only complete when being with her. It would not even occur to him to incomplete himself, to amputate an essential part of his life.
An extrinsically committed man does not hesitate to dump a woman, as soon as he does not get anymore, what he wants from her.
An extrinsically committed man does not hesitate to dump a woman, as soon as he does not get anymore, what he wants from her.
7. Sharing Resources:
An intrinsically committed man accepts, that he joins assets and resources with his partner and that these are then joined property to be used only by joined and shared decisions. Whenever the resources are limited, they both give priority to spending money on what is of benefit for them both together. Spending money benefiting only one is based upon a shared decision.
An extrinsically committed man considers a woman as a commodity and a tool to add as much benefit to his life for the least cost, he does not enter a relationship for her benefit. Such a man spends as much money on himself as he has to fulfill this own selfish needs first. Only if it pleases him to feel good about doing it or if he has the misguided wish to give something back for the woman's service in bed, he decides to spend money on her. But no matter, if the spends money on himself or on the woman, he reserves the decision for himself and excludes the woman from it.
8. Sharing Decisions:
An intrinsically committed man has chosen his partner for her intellectual and emotional qualities. Whenever he wants to do something, he expects to get some additional valuable input from her. Therefore he talks about his plan and discusses his suggestions with her until they can agree and share the decision. With this attitude towards her, consulting her before deciding anything is an automatic reaction. Whenever some idea occurs to him, his next impulse is the question, what she thinks about it.
Therefore such a man shares decisions with his partner as a method of enhancing the qualities of his decisions and the quality of the life of both. He does not feel limited by this behavior.
An extrinsically man is convinced, that he knows best what is good for him. He is focusing only on gaining his own benefits in competition with her and in using her. He expects the same selfish goals from her too, he considers her as competing with him for resources. Logically he does not trust her advice or her being a fair partner when sharing decisions.
Therefore such a man shares decisions with his partner as a method of enhancing the qualities of his decisions and the quality of the life of both. He does not feel limited by this behavior.
An extrinsically man is convinced, that he knows best what is good for him. He is focusing only on gaining his own benefits in competition with her and in using her. He expects the same selfish goals from her too, he considers her as competing with him for resources. Logically he does not trust her advice or her being a fair partner when sharing decisions.
He wants the availability of her body and nothing else from her. Therefore he decides, what he wants for himself, then he just does it without any consideration for her. If she is involved in the execution of his decision, he uses, whatever means he has, to make her comply with his decision.
When she asks to be included in making decisions, that impact her, he perceives this as her attempts to control him.
9. Communication:
For a man with intrinsic commitment, who has chosen a woman for her intellectual and emotional qualities, deep unrestricted communication about his and her innermost feelings and thoughts are a rewarding activity of joy. Trustful self-revelation and shared introspection enhance bonding, togetherness. belonging and feeling close. Accepting each other's support is a welcome and asked for part of the commitment. Such a man values his partner's support as he appreciates her personality. Therefore, he feels good to tell her everything that he feels and thinks, spontaneously and without hesitation or restriction.
An extrinsically committed man has chosen the woman for the benefits of her body. He is not really interested in her personality, he expects nothing from her. He does not want to communicate with her, her attempts to communicate annoy him. He considers his own inner life and his feelings as his private matters and none of her business. He perceives her attempts to talk about it are as a violation of his boundaries. He feels an urge to protect his private life from her, because he perceives her as a competitor for resources, for power, for control, and the more she knows, the more she becomes dangerous.
He either avoids communicating or he derails all communication to topics, that he does not consider as dangerous, while he keeps all real important information about himself hidden from her.
Of the above list of the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic commitment, only the first item of the man's identity is hidden from direct experience and only accessible by the man's own declaration. Everything else can be experienced by how the man behaves and treats the woman.
If a woman wants intrinsic commitment and there is the question of getting married, she is wise, if she first makes sure to experience his ability to offer her the intrinsic commitment, that makes a relationship for her to be a safe haven of mutual trust, reliability, predictability and security.
When she asks to be included in making decisions, that impact her, he perceives this as her attempts to control him.
9. Communication:
For a man with intrinsic commitment, who has chosen a woman for her intellectual and emotional qualities, deep unrestricted communication about his and her innermost feelings and thoughts are a rewarding activity of joy. Trustful self-revelation and shared introspection enhance bonding, togetherness. belonging and feeling close. Accepting each other's support is a welcome and asked for part of the commitment. Such a man values his partner's support as he appreciates her personality. Therefore, he feels good to tell her everything that he feels and thinks, spontaneously and without hesitation or restriction.
An extrinsically committed man has chosen the woman for the benefits of her body. He is not really interested in her personality, he expects nothing from her. He does not want to communicate with her, her attempts to communicate annoy him. He considers his own inner life and his feelings as his private matters and none of her business. He perceives her attempts to talk about it are as a violation of his boundaries. He feels an urge to protect his private life from her, because he perceives her as a competitor for resources, for power, for control, and the more she knows, the more she becomes dangerous.
He either avoids communicating or he derails all communication to topics, that he does not consider as dangerous, while he keeps all real important information about himself hidden from her.
Of the above list of the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic commitment, only the first item of the man's identity is hidden from direct experience and only accessible by the man's own declaration. Everything else can be experienced by how the man behaves and treats the woman.
If a woman wants intrinsic commitment and there is the question of getting married, she is wise, if she first makes sure to experience his ability to offer her the intrinsic commitment, that makes a relationship for her to be a safe haven of mutual trust, reliability, predictability and security.
