Duck’s Phase Model of Relationship Breakdown Flashcards
what are the 5 phases/stages of Duck’s relationship breakdown model
- Intrapsychic Phase
- Dyadic Phase
- Social Phase
- Grave-dressing phase
- Resurrection Processes
what is the intrapsychic phase
- 1st phase/stage
- Intrapsychic= within the mind
- You think over everything and are by this stage possibly pretty anxious – you may withdraw socially whilst trying to come to a decision as to what to do next.
what is the dyadic phase
- 2nd phase/stage
- Partners begin talking to each other about the problems in the relationship.
- May result in reconciliation
- May result in escalation to the next stage.
what is the social phase
- 3rd phase/stage
- No turning back now.
- The break-up is ‘aired’ and made public.
- Advice and support are sought from people outside the relationship and alliances are created. → people take sides
what is the grave-dressing phase
- 4th phase/stage
- This is so-called because as a relationship dies, we must create an account of :
1. How it came into being
2. What it was like
3. Why it dies - (Much like we would create a description on a tombstone for a deceased relative)
what is the resurrection processes
- 5th phase/stage
- Positive stage!
- addresses how each partner prepares themselves for relationships afterwards.
- They can experience personal growth and understanding and develop an idea of what they do and do not want in the future.
expand on the +ve AO3 point: resurrection
- traditional models have focused on the distress caused by breakups, rather than the potential for growth described in this model (RESURRECTION).
- This model predicts that partners will learn from their break-up and go on to have a more successful, enduring relationship because of their experiences (I now know what works for me and what does not work)
expand on the -ve AO3 point: gender differences
- Women report more personal growth as a result of break-up than men. → theory is more suitable for women
- could be due to women being more → emotionally reflective + aware + mature and societies influence of women
expand on the -ve AO3 point: Crucial Information Missing from Model
- The model does not explain what causes the initial breakdown/dissatisfaction- only what happens following it
- Obviously ethics mean studying relationships at this point are problematic as this caused increase the likelihood of breakdown.
- Any information we do glean is RETROSPECTIVE and therefore unreliable. → time changes how people think, time heals - diff view, more pos
what is the alternative research that have shown that there are gender differences in WHY couples break down in the first place
- Kassin
- Argyle
expand on the AO3 point: Kassin, Argyle (gender differences in why couples break down
Kassin:
- found men are more likely to break-up due to lack of sex
- where as women are more likely to break up due to stress, unhappiness, or incompatibility.
Argyle:
- found women indicate lack of emotional support as a reason for breakdown
- where as men cite absence of fun
→ links with traditional roles in gender, men work, need fun when home, women do jobs, need emotional support.
what research is there for individual differences in experience of breakdown
Akert
expand on the AO3 point: Akert (individual differences in experience of breakdown)
- discovered that the partner that ends the relationship has the better deal in terms of psychological wellbeing.
- The other partner (the one dumped) is much more likely to report feeling lonely, depressed and unhappy after a break- up than those who initiated it.
expand on the +ve AO3 point: Tashirp and Frazier
- found support for the RESURRECTION process
- students surveyed felt that they had experienced personal growth and greater understanding about what they now looked for in a partner following a break-up
expand on the -ve AO3 point: culture
- arranged marriages in certain cultures - don’t break up (for wider reasons than just the individual e.g. family) therefore this theory doesn’t apply to them
