Chapter 9: Relationships

Question 1

What is Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

Answer 1

• Intimacy: feelings of bonding, closeness, support, openness and connectedness in relationships
• Passion: physical attraction, sexual desire, lust, euphoria, romance
• Commitment: decision to love someone and remain loyal, in order to maintain the relationship
• Consummate love: Passion= Commitment= Intimacy

Question 2

Gender Segregation in Childhood Friendships

Answer 2

• cross-gender play until around 3 years of age and then 4 to middle childhood preference for own sex friends
• Boys are unresponsive to girls and girls are passive to boys (watch)

Question 3

Activity preferences by sex

Answer 3

• boys: larger groups, outdoors, tough and tumble play, gross motor skills
• girls: just as active, seek and value intimacy more
  (contributes to segregation)

Question 4

Concept of friends develops during elementary school

Answer 4

• friends begin to furnish intimacy and companionship
• learn to form relationships without the pressure of sexual contact
  (intimacy and commitment without passion)

Question 5

Girl Friendship Style

Answer 5

• emotional intimacy, talk based friendships

Question 6

Boys Friendship Style

Answer 6

• intimacy through activity, based on playing games, team sports

Question 7

Changes in existing friendships

Answer 7

• workplace relationships (cross-gender but not ethnic boundaries)
• committed relationships (relinquish other relationships)

Question 8

Relationship Styles

Answer 8

• many of mens intimate friendships are with women
• love has come to be feminized
• men: role of homophobia

Question 9

Family Duty Blueprint

Answer 9

(before the industrial revolution, marriages tended to fit this blueprint)

• equal relationships between partners
• formed around commitment and made intimacy likely
• passion may have been missing

Question 10

Doctrine of the Two Spheres

Answer 10

• women must maintain the love of their husband because of financial dependence and caregiving (which is associated with love)
• women: be good mothers and wives
• men: good provider role

Question 11

Companionship Blueprint

Answer 11

• increasing economic power for women, but traditional roles
• love before marriage and choice
• lack of commitment (rising divorce rates)
• dating becomes popular

Question 12

Format for dating behaviour

Answer 12

• provides scripts for both men and women

- men lead and act, women follow and react

Question 13

Types of Relationships

Answer 13

• gay and lesbian couples
• married heterosexual couples
• cohabitating non married heterosexual couples

Question 14

What are the styles of heterosexual marriages

Answer 14

• companionship blueprint (defined gender-roles) women maintain love - traditional
• Independence Blueprint: flexible gender roles, personal freedom and change, self development over commitment
• Interdependence blueprint: flexible gender roles, commitment based on mutual dependence (consummate love)

Question 15

Compared to women, men..

Answer 15

• have more traditional concepts however become more egalitarian (Equal)
• are more romantic
• less likely to want to get married

Question 16

Compared to men, women..

Answer 16

• more likely to report physical symptoms of being in love

- married females report more stress then married men

Question 17

Communication between partners

Answer 17

• women: create emotional intimacy through talk and self-disclosure, husbands may feel threatened (a test about to be failed)
• Men: create emotional intimacy through activity such as sex, wives don’t count sex as communication or as a method for establishing intimacy

Question 18

Growth of egalitarian attitudes towards marriage

Answer 18

• parallels trend of employment for women
• however men may still hold more power
• divided on gender lines

Question 19

Decision Making and Power in relationships

Answer 19

• the partner bringing more resources likely yields more power (income, status or education)
• wives who make more money likely will have less power in a relationship, both try to maintain appearance of traditional gender roles

Question 20

Division of Household Labor

Answer 20

• primary responsibility for household chores remains with the women
• “womens work” much more time consuming chores more than men

Question 21

Conflict and Violence

Answer 21

• how couples resolve conflict reflects differentials in power (less power, more stress)

Question 22

Goals of Conflict Resolution

Answer 22

(when men have more power)

• women more likely to start conversation
• for men: please their partner
• for women: conflict avoidance (silencing effect)

Question 23

Coercive Styles of conflict Resolution

Answer 23

• men and women are equally likely to be the perpetrators of violence, but women are much more likely to sustain serious injury
• the larger the power differential the more violence

Question 24

What is intimate terrorism

Answer 24

• control families and retain dominance

Question 25

what is Commitment

Answer 25

• the component which is strongly related to relationship stability

Question 26

What is cheating

Answer 26

• an emotional betrayal for women signalling the end
  (wives tend to leave leave husbands for their lovers)
• men and lack of sex

Question 27

Dissolving Relationships

Answer 27

• women generally initiate the break up

- women tend to fall into love more slowly and out of love more quickly than men

Question 28

Considering Diversity in Relationships

Answer 28

• in societies that are more male-dominated violence against women is more common (cultures where women have less power)