Duck's Phase Model of Relationship Breakdown Flashcards
Name the 4 stages of Duck’s model.
Intra Psychic Phase
Dyadic Phase
Social Phase
Grave Dressing Phase
Why is it called the ‘intra psychic phase’?
The unhappy partner internalises their feelings and the other partner does not know how they feel.
How may a person in the intra psychic phase hint to their partner that they are unhappy without directly telling them?
They might become withdrawn and show a lack of interest in the relationship.
What might a partner consider about rewards and costs in the intra psychic stage?
They consider whether they are making a profit in terms of rewards. If profit is not being made, they may feel dissatisfied.
What does the unhappy partner do in the dyadic phase?
They confront their partner, review commitment and reassess goals.
Why might the relationship be terminated at the dyadic phase?
Rewards and costs have not been renegotiated.
What do unhappy partners do in the social phase?
They alert people in their close social network about issues in the relationship.
Why might the relationship be terminated in the social phase?
Opinions of friends and family may influence the person’s decision whether to save or terminate the relationship.
What happens to the relationship in the grave dressing phase?
The relationship is mostly dead and cannot be saved, therefore it is terminated.
What might partners do when discussing the end of the relationship to other people?
They may give different versions of the story to others in order to gain their sympathy and not seem like the ‘bad’ person.
How do partners in the grave dressing phase prevent their initial decision to form the relationship from seeming illogical?
They present themselves in a positive light and reinterpret their partners characteristics and qualities in a negative way.
Why might partners imply they are happy that the relationship has ended even though they may not be?
To prevent themselves from looking foolish after originally choosing to form the relationship in the first place.
Explain the strength of the model suggesting ways that breakdown can be reversed.
What did Duck suggest that people in the intra psychic phase do instead of focusing on the negative aspects of their partner?
What should people do in the Dyadic phase when trying to save their relationships?
Overall, how is the model useful in relationship counselling?
The model is useful because it recognizes that different repair strategies are more effective at some points of breakdown than others. For example, Duck recommended that people in the intra-psychic stage could be encouraged to focus their worrying on the positive aspects of their partner instead. Also, a feature of the dyadic phase is communication, and any attempt to improve this and wider social skills could be beneficial in fostering greater stability in the relationship. These insights can be used in relationship counselling to help couples through difficult times
Explain the limitation of cultural issues with Duck’s model.
The model is based of couples in which type of culture?
Moghaddam said that relationships in individualist cultures are v_________. How are relationships ended in this culture?
Why are relationships in collectivist cultures harder to end?
Therefore, the model does not apply to all…
The model is based on research into relationship breakdown in individualist cultures, especially in the US. According to Moghaddam, relationships in individualist cultures are generally voluntary and frequently come to an end, such as through divorce. But in collectivist cultures, relationships are less easy to end as whole families can become involved. The entire concept of romantic relationships differs completely between cultures. This means that the model’s application is not useful for all cultures.
Explain the limitation of methodological and ethical issues surrounding the model.
Research into Duck’s model is retrospective - what does this mean?
Why might research into relationships have social desirability bias?
This means that findings from research may not be r_________.
Why are researchers often reluctant to study breakdown?
Most of research relating to Duck’s model is retrospective. PPTs generally give their experiences of the breakdown process some time after the relationship has ended. PPTs may also give different stories of their breakdown to researchers to make themselves look better. Therefore, their recall may not always be accurate or reliable. Researchers are often reluctant to study breakdown as well because their involvement could make things worse and destroy a relationship that could have been resurrected. Therefore, researchers must be careful with how they study breakdown.
