L8 - Duck’s Phase Model of Relationship Breakdown

Question 1

When does relationship breakdown occur?

Answer 1

• When one or both people in the relationship feel the relationship is not working and wish the relationship to end

Question 2

How many phases are there?

Answer 2

4

Question 3

What is the first phase?

Answer 3

Intra-psychic processes:
(-) Dissatisfied partner privately thinks about their relationship and broods about the problems identified.
(-) They focus on partner’s faults and that they are under-benefiting
(-) They feel depressed & withdraw from social interactions with their partner

Question 4

What is the second phase?

Answer 4

Dyadic processes:
(-) Dissatisfied partner privately communicates with their partner that they are dissatisfied
(-) Both partners might think about investments
(-) Reconciliation if the partner accepts validity of other sad partners views and changes their behaviour
(-) Marital therapy needed, the sad partner might believe they are justified to withdraw from the relationship

Question 5

What is the third phase?

Answer 5

Social Processes:
(-) Break up made public to friends/family, problem is harder to ignore
(-) Advice and Support comes from outside the relationship inc. criticising former partners and scapegoating
(-) Younger adults experience this more frequently as they are trying to find their ideal partner and testing the market. Older couples experience this less often

Question 6

What is the fourth phase?

Answer 6

Grave Dressing Processes:
(-) Need to mourn and justify actions
(-) Create an account of what the relationship was like and why it broke down
(-) Ex Partners begin their post relationship life and publicise why the relationship broke down, ensuring their social credit is high
(-) Stories are told and are given to different people. Partners may reinterpret their partners point if view

Question 7

Evaluation (+)

Answer 7

(+) 5th phase introduced: resurrection phase where the person engages in personal growth and gets prepared for new romantic relationships - more modern
(+) Support from social exchange theory, it supports Ducks phase Model and states that if a relationship has high costs and minimal rewards then the relationship is not worth continuing

Question 8

Evaluation (-)

Answer 8

(-) The role that people had in deciding if the relationship should breakdown was the most important prediction of the breakdown experience. Those who didn’t initiate the breakdown were most miserable, lonely, depressed and angry. Those who did initiate, were least stressed & upset but felt guilty
(-) Ignores gender differences. Females emphasise unhappiness, lack of emotional support and incompatibility as reasons for relationship breakdown. Males state lack of sex/fun. Females wish to stay friends but males would rather not.
(-) Overly simplistic. Reduces the complex phenomenon of relationship breakdown into 4 simple stages that must follow a specific order. In reality, relationship breakdown is unpredictable, and doesn’t happen in chronological order e.g some couples break up and get back together