Breakdown of romantic relationships Flashcards
What are the two theories that explain the breakdown of romantic relationships?
Two theories for relationship breakdown are Ducks 4 stage model and Lee’s 5 stage model.
How does Duck explain the relationship breakdown?
Ducks 4-stage model saw breakdown as a process rather than a single event. Duck proposed some factors which can cause a breakdown: The lack of skills such as poor interpersonal skills, the lack of stimulation may lead to boredom or feeling the relationship is not progressing or developing and the lack of maintenance can be caused due to circumstances with partners not spending enough time together due to work commitments leading to strain.
What are the stages of breakdown in Duck’s model?
The stages of breakdown in ducks model are:
• Intrapsyhic – Social withdrawal, resentment and feelings of being under-benefitted occur.
• Dyadic – Partners discuss problems and provided it is constructive rather than destructive this could lead to reconciliation. If this is not resolved the breakdown progresses to the next stage.
• Social stage – The breakdown is made public to friends and family. There is negotiation over assets, support is sought from social networks and alliances are made.
• Grave-dressing – A post view of the relationship breakdown is established for why it occurred with each person having their own account. The rebuilding of self-esteem for future relationships occurs here to show trust and loyalty, two important qualities which are under question.
What are the stages of breakdown in Lee’s model?
Lees 5 stage model views breakdown as a process of stages:
• Dissatisfaction – An individual becomes dissatisfied within the relationship
• Exposure – Dissatisfaction is revealed to ones partner
• Negotiation – Discussion occurs over the nature of the unhappiness
• Resolution – Attempts are made to resolve the dissatisfaction
• Termination – If the dissatisfaction is not resolved the relationship ends.
What has Tashiro et al found?
Tashiro et al found evidence supporting Ducks model in a study involving students. After breakups they reported not only feeling distress but also personal growth and better insight into themselves and what they wanted from future relationships. Through grave-dressing and resurrection processes they could move on with their lives showing Ducks theory has some credibility.
Criticism of Tashiro et al’s study?
The limitation here is that this study focused only on students meaning the sample was biased, as student social relationship breakdown may be different to that of adults and the wider population therefore lacking external validity.
What did Boekhout find?
Boekhout et al found supporting evidence for Ducks theory and how lack of skills or stimulation can lead to breakdown. Studying extramarital affairs that occurred his evidence found the reasons given for affairs was a direct reaction to perceived lack of skills or stimulation with men citing lack of sexual excitement, boredom and variety and women citing a lack of attention or emotional satisfaction.
Criticism of Boekhout’s study?
A criticism is that in such cases the reasons given may not be genuine and purely an account created to portray those committing the affair as the victim.
What has Kassin et al found?
Kassin et al found women stress unhappiness and incompatibility while men blame a lack of sex. Women want to remain friends while men want a clean break.
What has Argyle et al found?
Argyle et al found further support for gender differences with women also citing a lack of emotional support while men blamed a lack of fun on breakups. The models cannot account for such gender differences suggesting the theories are reductionist and oversimplified with more complex processes factoring in.
What has Akert et al found?
Akert et al found individual differences with the person who instigated the breakup suffering less negative consequences than the non-instigator and neither models can explain these individual differences. It is possible those initiating the breakup have already come to terms with the relationship ending on some level hence the less negatives and these processes are not factored in.
Explain Lee’s research and it’s application.
Lee created his theory based on research and surveys of 112 breakups of non-marital romantic relationships and found the negotiation and exposure stages were the most distressing and emotional draining. Individuals who skipped stages tended to also have less intimate relationships. This shows Lees model may have application for couples who may have longer closer relationships rather than those who have casual relationships.
Criticism of Lee’s research?
The main criticism of Lee’s research is that it was based on non-marital relationships and this process of breakup may not fully apply to married couples involving children and shared assets.
What is the practical implication arising from the models?
The models do provide practical implications for counselling and assessing which stage a couple are in can help devise ways to resolve and save the relationship with intervention showing the theories do provide benefits.
Limitations of the models’ implication?
The criticism of this is that the phases of breakdown are not always universal and not all couples go through them or in the same order as the models propose, some people simply walk away from a relationship. The models do not help us understand fully why breakup occurs either with both models beginning when unhappiness has set in and thus limiting its application.
