Commitment means sticking to something for a long time. When we talk about commitment, we usually talk about it in the context of romantic relationships. But the term also applies to other life areas such as work, interests, and hobbies.
A person who has commitment issues has trouble dedicating themselves to one thing for a long time. They avoid commitment to such an extent that it becomes part of their personality.
Commitment issues vs. not ready to commit
There’s a difference between having commitment issues and not being ready to commit. A person may not be ready for commitment. That doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t commit. They may be busy focusing on their careers or haven’t found the right person yet.
Others are simply not interested in commitment. They prefer more short-term relationships.
A person has commitment issues when they have every reason to commit, but they can’t. Everything tells them that committing is the way to go, but they seem to get in their own way.
They’ve already taken giant strides in the relationship and commitment seems like the next logical step, but something holds them back. They want to commit, but there’s an unexplainable opposing force in their mind.
What causes commitment issues?
Fear is a massive driver of commitment issues. The person may be afraid of the future or the changes that’ll occur in their lives if they choose to commit.
Then there are other fears like thinking you’ll miss out on other opportunities in life and worrying that you’ll not meet your partner’s expectations.
Personality factors such as being indecisive and getting easily swayed by bright, shiny objects in the vicinity also contribute to commitment issues. So do factors like low self-esteem and an inability to think long-term.
Upbringing factors may also have a role to play. Things like a poor relationship with parents and unhealthy parenting may lead to an unhealthy view of long-term relationships.
Having a bad experience with prior long-term relationships can also lead to commitment issues.
Lastly, modern society gives us many options for instant gratification- from dating apps to social media. It’s hard committing to one person when you can find another opportunity at your fingertips.
Taking the commitment issues test
This test consists of 30 items with options ranging from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree. To get accurate results, answer each item as truthfully as you can. The test is completely anonymous, and we don’t store the results in our database.
Hi, I’m Hanan Parvez (MA Psychology). I’ve been writing about Psychology for 9+ years. My work has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Reader’s Digest, and Entrepreneur. If you have any queries, use the contact form or reach out to me on my socials.