Psychological explanations of the formation of human relationships (Markey & Markey and Hazan & Shaver)

Question 1

Psychological explanation of the formation of human relationships

Answer 1

Psychological explanation – cognitive theories of attraction through familiarity models such as the similarity attraction model (attraction is based upon INTERNAL mental processes – how we percieve others, how we make decisions upon who we are attracted to)

Question 2

Similarity Attraction Model

Answer 2

Those whom we perceive to be most similar to ourselves are more attractive eg. age, religion, social class, physical attractiveness

Reliant on cognitive biases and schema based on PAST RELATIONSHIPS

Question 3

Bowlby’s Internal Working Model (schemas)

Answer 3

Children form schemas (cognitive frameworks people form that influence behavior, mental representations of the world) on their first relationship eg. with mother – their idea of attraction

Question 4

Markey & Markey aim

Answer 4

Investigated similarity effect in choosing partners

Question 5

Markey & Markey method

Answer 5

1. Questionnaires from a large self-selected sample of undergrad students to describe psychological characteristics, values and attitudes of the ideal partner
2. Then asked to describe themselves

Question 6

Markey & Markey findings

Answer 6

Description aligned with what their ideal partner looked like – follow up study showed that most harmonious relationships share similar traits but not all

Question 7

How does Markey & Markey support familiarity models?

Answer 7

Supports the concept of familiarity models (similarity and shared traits are what attracts people to one other, a common ground). Supports the concept of familiarity models (similarity and shared traits are what attracts people to one other, a common ground)

Question 8

Markey & Markey strengths

Answer 8

• Large sample increases validity

Question 9

Markey & Markey weaknesses

Answer 9

• Social desirability bias (questionnaire)
• No C+E relationship (correlational analysis)

Question 10

Internal Working Model

Answer 10

Our idea of attraction is related to our first attachment, one who experiences love and affection will believe they are deserving of love and affection from others

1. Ideas of attachment to others
2. Ideas about self
3. Ideas about self in relation to others

Question 11

Hazan and Shaver’s “Love Quiz” aim

Answer 11

Adult attraction and relationship formation is a REFLECTION of EXPECTATIONS and BELIEFS from their experiences of first attachments.

Question 12

Hazan and Shaver method

Answer 12

1. 620 self-selected people took a “love quiz” with a measure of 3 statements related to attachment styles: secure attachment, anxious-avoidant, and anxious ambivalent
2. Describe how your behavior in relationships are?
3. Describe parenting style in adjectives? – secure attachment (parents are available), anxious-avoidant (parents are rejecting), and anxious ambivalent (parents are inconsistent and not understanding of needs)

Most were secure

Question 13

Hazan and Shaver findings

Answer 13

Romantic love = early parental attachments

They also found that differences in adult attachment compared to parental attachments were related to differences in beliefs about the self and others.

Question 14

Hazan and Shaver link to internal working model

Answer 14

Supports internal working model but → not static and doesn’t determine what kind of adult relationships you may get into because it is dependant on belief of self (which is ever-changing)

Question 15

Hazan and Shaver strengths

Answer 15

• Both men and women participated and produced same patterns

Question 16

Hazan and Shaver weaknesses

Answer 16

• Self-selected: attracting a certain audience which is not representative
• Social desirability bias
• Infant attachment is also affected by culture, different caretaker practices

Question 17

Limitations of psychological processes

Answer 17

• Overlooks cultural explanations – parental attachment styles differs with culture (what is normal for one isn’t for the other)
• difficulties in operationalizing variables such as attachment and self-esteem

Question 18

Focus of biological processes (Buss et al)

Answer 18

Looking at the role of evolutionary arguments, what do people look for in a partner now rather than what their initial idea of attraction is

Question 19

Psychological explanations conclusion

Answer 19

Psychological explanations is one theory for the origins of formations of relationships

→ Contrasts against bio as it focuses on one’s expectations of love for attraction (interactions with others, views and perceptions of a relationship), rather than what they are attracted to (their health level or wealth)

How we percieve love (psych) vs. what we look for in love (bio)

→ Look for relationships dependent on idea of self + others