duck's phase model Flashcards
what is duck’s phase model
duck suggested that relationship dissolution occurs over several distinct phases, he did a longitudinal study to examine this
phase 1: intra psychic
-person admits to themselves that they feel dissatisfied
-focused on internal thought processes
-threshold: “i can’t stand this anymore”
phase 2: dyadic
-person confronts their partner and voices their dissatisfaction
-many complaints from the person initiating the break up, e.g. about commitment
-threshold: “i would be justified in withdrawing”
phase 3: social
-involving friends and family by making their distress public
-at this stage its more difficult for a couple to mend their relationship
-threshold: “i mean it”
stage 4: grave dressing
-post break up, both people contract their version of what happened
-they usually minimise their own faults and maximise the others
-threshold: “its time to start a new life”
tashiro and frazier (2003) - the importance of the grave dressing stage
relationship dissolution is stressful and can cause anxiety and depression (monroe et al 1999).tashiro and frazier found different if ex partners viewed the situation as responsible for the break up, they viewed the end of the relationship more positively
duck and rollie (2006) - the resurrection phase
they suggested at this phase people move beyond the pain and distress of the break up and experience personal growth. this was supported by tashiro and frazier (2003) who found upgrades with recent breakup experience reported experiencing personal growth after distress lifted
lefebrve et al (2012) - investigating duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown
-208 college students who regularly used facebook did questionnaire about their use of it during a recent breakup
-22% didn’t use facebook, 22% used it to change their relationship status, 10% used to to check on their ex’s life. people would display positive social interactions, and ‘blocking’ was common after the break up
-believe these behaviours can be mapped to duck’s phase model, specifically the social and grave dressing phases
give a limitation of duck’s phase model
research relies on retrospective data, so the questionnaires and interviews to ask about the break up occurred a while after it happened. peoples memories may not be accurate so answers may not be reliable. so the model may not describe how break ups happen in real life, which weakens the models ability to give an accurate picture of relationship break down
give a limitation of duck’s phase model
significant ethical issues in researching relationship breakdown. for example privacy, specifically if involving domestic abuse victims. there’s also issues of confidentiality and protection from harm, as they may experience distress through the research. so the topic is hard to investigate as its hard to conduct a study where benefits outweigh negative impacts on participants
give a limitation of duck’s phase model
social phase is affected by individual differences. dickson (1995) found friends and family view teenage break ups as less serious, so they don’t put in as much effort into reconciling partners as they would for older couples. break ups of longer lasting relationships is often seen as more distressing and people will put more effort into keeping them together. so duck’s phase model can’t be applied to all couples so the model can’t predict breakdown in all relationships
give a strength of duck’s phase model
useful real world applications, specifically with couples counselling, where they may be advised different strategies based on the phase they’re in. duck (1994) recommends for the intra psychic stage they should focus on the positives of their partners personality, and those in the dyadic phase should communicate with their partner to balance the relationship, also support from friends and family can be useful in the social phase. so ducks model can be used to help couples stay together and improve their relationship
give a limitation of duck’s phase model
model is based on relationships from individual cultures where break up is voluntary, and divorce are easily and don’t carry stigma. however this may not be the case in collectivist cultures where relationships may be arranged and family are deeply involved in them. this makes the relationship harder to end so the break up process doesn’t follow duck’s model. so the model may be culturally biased by assuming the break up process is universal
give a limitation of duck’s phase model
the model describes how relationships break down but not why. it follows a nomothetic approach by establishing universal principles, but the break up process is affected by individual differences, cultural norms and values, so an idiographic approach may be more suitable by revealing individual reasons for break ups and each couples experiences
