Duck's phase model

Question 1

What are the top ten reasons for relationship breakdown?

Answer 1

1. Marriages in which partners were very young.
2. Early parenthood
3. Being in a lower socioeconomic group.
4. Poor education
5. Partners are of different race/ religion.
6. A greater number of sexual partners before marriage.
7. Jealousy
8. People have change of attitudes/ beliefs
9. Relationship becomes routine and boring - lack of stimulation.
10. Lack of sexual satisfaction.

Question 2

What did Duck (2007) do?

Answer 2

Proposed an explanation of how relationships break down. He argued that the end of a relationship is not a sudden event, but a process that goes through phases where the perception of the relationship changes once a ‘threshold’ is reached.

Question 3

State the thought in the intra-psychic phase.

Answer 3

I can’t stand this anymore - indicates determination that something has changed.

Question 4

What happens in the intra-psychic phase?

Answer 4

Cognitive process occurring within individual.
Dissatisfied partner broods on the reasons for their dissatisfaction due to partner’s shortcomings.
They mull thoughts privately.
Share with trusted friend.
Weigh pros and cons and evaluate against alternatives.
Begin to make plans for the future.

Question 5

State the thought in the dyadic phase.

Answer 5

I would be justified in in ending the relationship.

Question 6

What happens in the dyadic phase?

Answer 6

Between two partners.
Can’t avoid talking about relationship.
A series of confrontation over a period of time where relationship is discussed and dissatisfactions are aired.
Characterised by hostility, complaints of lack of equity, rethinking commitment that kept them together.
2 possible outcomes - a determination to continue breaking up or a renewed desire to repair it.

Question 7

State the thought in the social phase.

Answer 7

I mean it.

Question 8

What happens in the social phase?

Answer 8

Break-up is made public - friends and family become aware of the problems.
Each partner will try to gain the support of particular friends, forming pacts where they are supported. Mutual friends find they are expected to choose a side.
Gossip is traded and encouraged.
Some friends provide reassurance (‘I always said you were too good for him’).
Others judgemental and place blame on one partner or the other.
They may contribute information which hastens the break-up, for example a secret that one of the couple have been keeping.
Alternatively, others may try to repair relationship.

Question 9

State the thought in the grave-dressing phase.

Answer 9

It’s now inevitable.

Question 10

What happens in the grave-dressing phase?

Answer 10

This refers to the aftermath of the break-up, where each partner creates a favourable story about why the relationship ended, for example by blaming the other partner or circumstances.
Gossip is important, as each partner will try to retain ‘social credit’ by not putting the blame on themselves. Cognitive techniques are used during this phase to ‘rewrite’ the history of the relationship, for example by interpreting characteristics previously seen as positive or neutral as negative. Alternatively, both partners may split more amicably, agreeing to move on with their lives.

Question 11

What are the strength of Duck’s phase model?

Answer 11

Real life application - relationship counselling.
Face validity.
There are benefits of grave dressing phase.

Question 12

What are the real life applications of Duck’s phase model?

Answer 12

Duck (1994) recommends that people in the intra-psychic phase could be encouraged to focus brooding on positive aspects of partner and improving the dyadic phase which could improve social skills.
This means that it helps identify and understand the stages of relationship breakdown.

Question 13

Why does Duck’s phase model have face validity?

Answer 13

It accounts of relationships breakdown that most people can relate to their own or others’ experiences.
The view of dissolution as a process, rather than an event, is widely accepted.

Question 14

How are there benefits of the grave dressing phase?

Answer 14

Research supports the importance of the grave-dressing phase in dealing with the aftereffects of relationship breakdown.
Monroe et al. (1999) found that students who experienced the end of a romantic relationship in the previous year had a greater risk of developing a major depressive disorder for the first time.
However, Tashiro and Frazier (2003) found that individuals are able to feel better about ending a relationship when they focus situation rather than their own flaws responsible for breakup - doesn’t threaten psychological well-being.

Question 15

What are the limitations of Duck’s phase model?

Answer 15

It’s an incomplete model - Rollie and Duck (2006) described model as oversimplified.
Methodological issue.
Cultural bias.
Description rather than explanation - Flemlee’s (1995)

Question 16

Why was Duck’s phase model incomplete?

Answer 16

The original model has been criticised as not accounting for the fluid and dynamic nature of relationship breakdown. Rollie and Duck (2006) attempted to address this by adding an explanation that progression from one stage to the next is not inevitable, or linear. They also added a fifth stage, the ‘resurrection phase’, in which ex-partners use the lessons from the ended relationship in a future relationship.

Question 17

Why are there methodological issues of Duck’s phase model?

Answer 17

Participants generally give their experiences of the breakdown process some time after the relationship ended.
Recall might not always be accurate or reliable.
Researchers are reluctant to study relationships at this early point, involvement could make things worse and even hasten the end of a relationship that otherwise would have been rescued.

Question 18

Why is Duck’s phase model culturally bias?

Answer 18

The model and most of the research supporting it are based on the experience of relationships in individualist cultures. According to Moghaddam et al. (1993), relationships in individualist cultures are generally voluntary and frequently come to an end. Relationships in collectivist cultures are more likely to be obligatory, less easy to end, involve wider family.

Question 19

What doesn’t Duck’s phase model offer?

Answer 19

An explanation of why relationships breakdown. For example, Flemlee’s (1995) fatal attraction hypothesis argues that the causes of relationship breakdown can be found in the attractive qualities brought the romantic partners together. The relationship is threatened by the partner getting too much of what they were looking for.
‘Fantastic sense of humour’ that was so dazzling’ at the start of the relationship may become ‘he can’t take anything seriously’.