8- Week 8 - Affiliation, attraction & love

Question 1

Describe the role of familiarity in attraction

Answer 1

We are most likely to become attracted to those we are most familiar with (The proximity effect, the exposure effect)

Question 2

Describe the influence of similarity on attractiveness

Answer 2

Research shows we are more attracted to similar people than opposites.
What matters most: Demographics, Attitudes, level of attractiveness and subjective/shared experience.

Question 3

Describe the attachment styles in intimate relationships

Answer 3

Secure - Easily attaches to others. Not overly fearful of abandonment

Insecure-avoidant - somewhat uncomfortable being close to others. Trust issues. Nervous.

Insecure-anxious - Others seem reluctant to be close to them. Anxiety over connectedness of partners. Wants to completely merge with the other individual. Scary

Question 4

Describe attribution patterns that can lead to conflict in relationships

Answer 4

Demand-withdraw - 1 partner wants to discuss issues but other partner withdraws and doesn’t want to.

Relationship-enhancing - Seeing a partners undesirable behaviours as caused by factors that are ‘situational’ but desirable behaviours are seen as ‘permanent’

Distress-maintaining - Seeing negative behaviours as serious and developing.

Question 5

Describe patterns of marital satisfaction

Answer 5

The dominant pattern we choose suggests our future (the happy get happier, the miserable couples get more miserable)
The more interdependent (spending a lot of time together, sharing activities etc) a couple is, the LONGER they will last, but the higher devastation upon ending.

Question 6

Describe issues regarding the end of intimate relationships

Answer 6

‘Life satisfaction’ dips after a divorce, rebounds later, but never fully recovers to pre-divorce levels.