Duck's phase model

Question 1

What are the 4 phases of a relationship breakdown ?

Answer 1

• Intrapsychic
• Dyadic
• Social
• Grave-dressing phase

Question 2

What is the intrapsychic stage ?

Answer 2

• ‘I can’t stand this anymore’
• Individuals feel burdened by resentment and under-benefit fro, the relationship
• May not express dissatisfaction during this time
• Express discontent privately or via social withdrawl

Question 3

What is the dyadic phase ?

Answer 3

• ‘I would be justified in withdrawing’
• Confronting their partner
• Guilt and anger begin to surface
• Awareness of investment are apparent
• Pivotal point - potential motivation to save relationship

Question 4

What is the social phase ?

Answer 4

• ‘I mean it’
• Crucial psychological moment
• Dissatisfaction is made public
• Tell social networks the gossip (friends and family)
• Reconciliation is now difficult

Question 5

What is the grave-dressing phase ?

Answer 5

-‘It’s inevitable that it’s over’
- Focus on the aftermath of the breakdown
- ‘spin’ the end to make it more palatable for gossip
- Create a personal story that you can live with
- Retains social credit
- Reinterpret certain relationship features

Question 6

What are the strengths of Duck Phase model ?

Answer 6

Application to relationship counselling:
- Couples go to therapy at phase 2 to help repair
- Helps improve the communication
- Someone more objective than friends who gossip

Question 7

Strength of Duck’s phase model: Simplistic

Answer 7

• Tashirot and Frasier
• Importance of the grave-dressing phase
• allows them to see the relationship in a more positive way which allows them to get over it

Question 8

Limitation of Duck’s phase model: Methodical issues

Answer 8

• based on self-report
• may be socially desirable answers
• built on retrospective data
• not an accurate basis due to flaws in the answers

Question 9

Limitation of Duck’s phase model: Individual differences

Answer 9

• break ups don’t always follow a linear order
• for example, people may experience the social phase before the dyadic phase
• couples may also go back a stage before actually breaking up

Question 10

Limitation of Duck’s phase mode;: Cultural relativism

Answer 10

• doesn’t consider culture
• Only based on western culture
• Doesn’t apply to the way that collectivist cultures deal with relationships

Question 11

Limitation of Duck’s phase model: Incomplete model

Answer 11

• Rollie
• Said that there was a 5th resurrection stage
• This stage is when an individual focuses on personal growth after the relationship has ended
• This means that they use insight on why their previous failed
• Therefore this is an extra phase which shows that the Phase model isn’t a complete explanation