This research aimed at discovering a relationship between dating style and male commitment. I hypothesized that traditional dating, where the male plays the initial active role and couples reserve sexual activity for marriage, would better predict male commitment due to effort justification theory and gain-loss theory. However I also acknowledged a counter hypothesis predicting a correlation between contemporary dating, with blurred gender roles and sexual boundaries, and male commitment due to behaviorist theory. Fifty-seven males took a survey assessing dating style and commitment level to find if either of these relationships existed. After data analysis, I found that female initial passivity, couples similarity in values and beliefs, and establishment of sexual boundaries to have a significant relationship with male commitment
