Block #6 Flashcards
Functional distance
The frequency with which we cross paths with others.
Mere-exposure effect
The notion that people like people/places/things merely because they are familiar with them. More specifically, he argued that the more often we are exposed to a stimulus (e.g., sound, person) the more likely we are to view that stimulus positively.
Perceived social support
A person’s perception is that others are there to help them in times of need.
- Have you ever thought that when things go wrong, you know you have friends/family members to help you? This is what psychologists call perceived social support or “a psychological sense of support.”
Proximity
Physical nearness. Proximity allows people the opportunity to get to know one other and discover their similarities—all of which can result in a friendship or intimate relationship.
- Proximity is not just about geographic distance, but rather functional distance, or the frequency with which we cross paths with others.
Received social support
The actual act of receiving support (e.g., informational, functional).
- Research has indicated that regardless of the support provider’s intentions, the support may not be considered as helpful to the person receiving the support if it is unwanted
Support support network
The people who care about and support a person.
matching hypothesis
While many make the argument that opposites attract, research has found that is generally not true; similarity is key. When it comes to marriage, research has found that couples tend to be very similar, particularly when it comes to age, social class, race, education, physical attractiveness, values, and attitudes.
- We like others who validate our points of view and who are similar in thoughts, desires, and attitudes.
Reciprocity
Another key component in attraction is reciprocity; this principle is based on the notion that we are more likely to like someone if they feel the same way toward us.
- we feel obliged to give what we get and to maintain equity in relationships.
love
All types of love comprise three distinct areas: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Intimacy includes caring, closeness, and emotional support.
- Specifically, serotonin production increased by as much as 40% in newly-in-love individuals.
- Those newly in love tended to show obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
- When a person experiences a breakup, the brain processes it similarly to quitting a heroin habit. Breakups are physically painful
- Long-term love and sexual desire activate different areas of the brain; sexual desire activities the striatum—a rather simplistic reward system, whereas love requires conditioning—it is more like a habit. When sexual needs are rewarded consistently, then love can develop. In other words, love grows out of positive rewards, expectancies, and habit
Passion
The passion component of love is comprised of physiological and emotional arousal; these can include physical attraction, emotional responses that promote physiological changes, and sexual arousal.
- Lacks intimacy; passion is unique to romantic love, differentiating friends from lovers.
Commitment
commitment refers to the cognitive process and decision to commit to love another person and the willingness to work to keep that love over the course of your life.
Intimacy
intimacy (caring, closeness, and emotional support) are generally found in all types of close relationships—for example, a mother’s love for a child or the love that friends share.
