Affiliation and Attraction Flashcards
Affiliation
being sociable has benefits eg-
lack of affiliation =?
more alert and excited in company of others
negative consequences eg. drop in ability of brain and hormonal system in coping with stress
When and why do we affiliate?
evolutionary idea
evolutionary =tendency comes from an inherited trait to help survive and reproduce by providing a network of support
we have some chronic differences in desire for affiliation
psychological determinants of affiliation
- privacy regulation theory(altman) - 2 variables
- social affiliation model(o’connor and Rosenblood)
our ideal level of privacy fluctuates due to: 1) the dialectic principle=our desire for privacy 2)optimization principle= trying to align desired and actual level of contact
too little = isolated, too much = crowded
-says we operate according to the homeostasis principle= we control our contact to keep it stable
Individual differences in affiliation
introverts (-CNS)
why?
cultural explanation?
may be due to CNS - introverts = more highly aroused, so they stay away from social situations to prevent it
cultural? = more individualistic a country is = more affiliation wanted(many relationships, less close ones and relationships are self-serving)
Problems with affiliation?
social anxiety and social anxiousness
Schachters 2 factor theory of emotion?
-negative emotions experienced due to concern with interpersonal evaluation (negative consequences=disclose less about self)
- chronic social anxiety = social anxiousness
2 factor theory = 1)physiological aroual 2)search for cues, so if people are anxious, may attribute it to others
Interpersonal attribution
the desire to approach another individual to seek them out for interaction.
Target-centred determinants of attraction? (4)
physical attractiveness
similarity to self
complementary characteristics
reciprocity
Lonliness (problem with affiliation)
4 strong predictors?
3 main factors?
Determinants of whether its temporary or chronic?
-Lonliness - same amount of friends as non-lonely, but perceived lack of intimacy = less quality. 4 strong predictors (maxwell and Coebergh):
1)how close u are with closest person,
2)how many friends you have
3)how satisfied you are with relationships
4)whether you have daily contact
3main factors (Berscheid and Reir):
1) certain traits
2)if spend less time with women and experience less intimacy and disclosure
3) certain social-cognitive tendencies
Temporary or chronic?
-depends how we interpret and react to it
-more stable internal attributions
-more situational attributions = temporary
Ostracism(problem with affiliation)
threatens which 4 fundamental needs? - causes depletion of?
FMRI shows?
being excluded or ignored by another group or individual
threatens 4 fundamental needs:
1)belonging - severs connections with others
2)control - effort we put in not reciprocated
3)self-esteem - being ignored= don’t feel valued
4) meaningful existence
depletion of all 4 of these = ‘need threat’
FMRI shows: same part of our brain is active when ostracised as when physically hurt = our social affiliation need has become so strong = hard wired into brain
Physical appearance (target-centred determinant of attraction)
physical appearance - variations on ideal attractiveness in cultures
women:
- small waist-to-hip ratio(0.7) = fertility and youth
-facial symmetry
-more average face = better
-immature features more attractive
people tend to associate attractiveness with other positive traits = often treated better (Landy and Sigal -essays marked better if person was attractive)
attractive people usually better social skills = self-fulfilling prophecy
similarity to self (target-centred determinant of attraction) Matching hypothesis? Heiders balance theory? evolutionary explanation? Bryne and nelson(1965)?
similarity to self eg. age race sex, attitudes
-physical/ obvious traits important early on
-those similar to us = less likely to reject us = ‘matching hypothesis’
- men more willing to indicate attraction to those of similar attractiveness ‘parental investment theory’ explains this(women have more long-lasting consequences of mating)
Heiders balance theory = people try to maintain balance or cog. consistency (relationship balanced when 2 people value same thing)
– social comparison = we like to do this to validate our self-concept
– evolutionary expl. = unconsciously attracted to similar others due to sharing similar genes?
Bryne and Nelson- p’s liked confederates more when they appeared to have more similar attitudes
Complementary characteristics (target-centred determinant of attraction) Looks-for-status exchange
attracted to people who have characteristics that complement ours, rather than mirroring ours eg. a trait we value
–> looks-for-status exchange
woman can trade looks for status and men can trade status for looks
- men like younger women(reproductive reasons)
-women like older men (support/ look after them)
socio-cultural perspective suggests its because historically men had more power
Reciprocity (target-centred determinant of attraction)
reciprocity more important for lowSE or highSE individuals?
‘reciprocity principle’ = tendency to like those who like us
Dittes - investigated effect of self-esteem on importance on reciprocity found:
low SE = liked group when it behaved positively
high SE = weren’t affected by the groups behaviour
= reciprocity more important for those with low SE
–> balance theory may explain role of reciprocity - we like people who value us as much as ourselves and mutual attraction by self-fulfilling prophecy eg. they like us, so we like them = they like us
Perceiver-centred determinants of attraction
determinants of attraction that depend on the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the perceiver
1)familiarity - proximity is an important determinant -uni students study showed people live closest to them =closest friends (mere exposure effect)
2) anxiety - experiencing anxiety and stress= increase affiliation with others (general, not social)
Schachter(1959) - ps in low and high anxiety groups (dependent on shock they were worried about receiving) - asked if wanted to wait alone or with others: 63% high anxiety waited with others, 33% in low
anxious people also want to wait with someone who is going through same thing as them (social comparison maybe)
Online attraction
2 factors that are important when developing online relationship?
1)portraying ones true self = traits that an individual possess’s but find hard to express to others
actual self = traits people find easier to express
–> people are better at disclosing true self online
2) self-presentation - Whitty found 3 themes emerged for what people want to portray self like and what they want to find:
1- constructing an attractive profile : physical attractiveness = most important - more women included a photo, and good profile had: fav. interests, good humour and unique profile
2- misinterpretation - p’s felt they had to ‘sell themselves’
3- evaluation of potential partners- looks = most important, then similar interests/values, socioeconomic status and personality
