factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships Flashcards
how many elements does self disclosure have ( hint : 3 )
- social penetration theory
- breath & depth of self disclosure
- reciprocity of self - disclosure
what is the social penetration theory
self - disclosure = sharing of personal information about self that leads to an increase in attractive
it is the gradual process of revealing information about your inner self and deepest thoughts and feelings
in romantic relationships this is done by a reciprocal exchange of information between partners
1 person reveals personal information about themselves and that signal to the other that they trust them and then for that relationship to carry on that person also shares sensitive information
as the partners constantly self - disclosure to each other they penetrate into each others lives and gain a deeper understanding of each other - shows that the relationship has the potential to last
what is breadth and depth of self disclosure ( low risk and high risk information
self disclosure has 2 elements : breadth and depth - as they increase so does attraction
breadth - this is were we disclose low risk information this is information that we would tell other people and we do this because if we self disclosure too soon it might decrease attraction of the person
depth - this is were we disclose high risk information such as painful memories , feelings and beliefs - this is because as the relationship develops you reveal more information about yourself
what is reciprocity of self disclosure
their must also be a reciprocal aspect to high risk self disclosure
their is an expectation especially if the information is high risk that when 1 person starts to self disclose the reaction to it will be empathetic and understanding
this increase attraction due to the increased intimacy that deepens a relation- more likely to be maintained
more A01
Sometimes disclosing personal information is inappropriate, for example doing so on a first date may be viewed as ‘over the top’, indicating that a person is lacking in social skills. Disclosure of highly intimate information may be seen as inappropriate and as violating social norms in the early stages – this could decrease attraction.
Women generally are seen as better communicators and more interested
in intimate information. Self-disclosure by a male may be seen as very
rewarding by a female, as it indicates he wants to disclose personal
information to her specifically. Males, meanwhile, may not be used to
self-disclosure and so may feel uncomfortable if females self-disclose
intimate details to them
A03 - ( + ) supporting evidence ( sprecher and hendrick )
they conducted a longitudinal study of mainly white , middle class heterosexual couples using questionnaires and found serval connections between satisfaction and reciprocal self - disclosure.
this is a strength as they found that men and women that self - disclosed and thought that their partner did as well were more satisfied and committed to the relationship than people who didn’t . however self disclosure was not a strong predictor on if people stayed together or broke up
therefore providing validity to the claim
counter argument : correlational
most research like sprecher and hendricks is correlational and therefore doesn’t demonstrate causation. this evidence doesn’t allow us to conclude that self - disclosure causes a partner to be attracted but it could be other factors like perceived similarity and this could be why they self - disclosure more because they like each other . therefore weak evidence to support social penetration theory
A03 - ( - ) culturally based
sprecher and hendrick mainly used white , middle class couples in America. however tan et al conducted a meta analysis that concluded that mean and women in the usa ( an individualistic culture ) self disclosed more sexual thoughts and feelings compared to men and women from china ( an collectivist culture ) . each level of self disclosure was linked to relationship satisfaction in those cultures suggesting that huh level of sexual self disclosure was more prevalent in usa than chinese couples
limitation as it suggest that self disclosure is moderated by the influence of culture and is therefore not universal
therefore the findings on an individualistic culture may not be able to be generalised to a collectivist culture
A03 - ( + ) practical application
it can help people who want to improve communication and strength their romantic bond in the relationship . Hass and stafford ( 1998) found that 57% of the gay men and women in their study said that open and honest self- disclosure maintained and deepened their relationship
strength because if less skilled individuals like those who use small talk as communication can use self - disclosure effectively then this could benefit the relationship
lead to satisfying relationships and provides theory with validity. real world application demonstrates the value of psychological insight
( - ) A03 - may be differences in the level of self disclosure over the internet compared to face to face
researchers outline that there may be difference in the level of self disclosure over the internet compared to face to face relationships . individual communicating over the internet are anonymous this may lead the to reveal more information about themselves know as the boom and blast phenomenon where people reveal more information about themselves earlier on than they would in a face to face interaction and the relationship becomes tense quickly
however because the underlying trust and true knowledge of the other person are not there support the relationship it become did to sustain
this why some individuals online may leave an established relationship as they believe that they have found the soulmate and then they turn out not being what they expected
