A Path Analytic Model of the Relationships between Involvement, Psychological Commitment, and Loyalty

AbstractThis paper outlines antecedents of involvement and mediating roles of developmental processes leading to participants' behavioral loyalty (i.e., involvement → psychological commitment → resistance to change → behavioral loyalty). We propose that individuals go through sequential psychological processes to become loyal participants including: (a) the formation of high levels of involvement in an activity, (b) the development of psychological commitment to a brand, and (c) the maintenance of strong attitudes toward resistance to change preferences of the brand. Furthermore, because not all individuals show the identical processes in the development of participants' loyalty, we propose that both personal characteristics and social-situational factors moderate the developmental processes.