R - Types of relationships

Question 1

What is different between virtual and in face-to-face relationships?

Answer 1

Virtual relationships may involve less self-disclosure than face-to-face relationships.

Question 2

What is the reduced cues theory and what does it suggest?

Answer 2

• Online relationships are less effective than face-to-face
• This is because they lack the verbal and non-verbal cues of a face-to-face relationship in turn, participants loose their sense of identity and their behaviour becomes more blunt as they feel less accountable for their behaviour

Question 3

What is the hyperpersonal model explain virtual relationships?

Answer 3

• ‘boom and bust’ phenomenon
• There is initial high self-disclosure so they are more intense and intimate
• However, the excitement levels do not match the level of trust which leads to break-ups

Question 4

How does the hyperpersonal model explain high self-disclosure in virtual relationships?

Answer 4

• Partners are anonymous: as you know the other person doesn’t know your identity, you feel less accountable for your behaviour
• Image manipulation: Selective self-disclosure makes it easier to promote intimacy by self-presenting in a positive idealised way

Question 5

What is meant by the absence of gating in virtual relationships?

Answer 5

• There are fewer barriers to forming a virtual relationship because physical and social factors are less influential online and therefore, attention is focused more on self-disclosure (what people say)

Question 6

Positive evaluation of virtual relationships

Answer 6

• Research supporting the absence of gating found that people who are lonely and socially anxious were able to express their ‘true selves’ online more than face-to-face
• Higher self-disclosure online means potential for deeper emotional connection which can increase the intimacy of relationships

Question 7

Negative evaluation of virtual relationships

Answer 7

• Lack of ecological validity: the theories fail to consider that majority of modern relationships are multimodal, conducting of offline and online interactions so what we choose to say online will be influenced by our offline interactions
• Modern virtual relationships can display ‘cues’ through emojis, message lengths, timing and tone which refutes the idea that online relationships may be impersonal

Question 8

What are the levels of parasocial relationships?

Answer 8

• Entertainment-social
• Intense-personal
• Borderline pathological

Question 9

What is the absorption-addiction model?

Answer 9

• People form parasocial relationships out of deficiencies in their own lives
• Absorption: individual preoccupied with the celebrity and identifies with them
• Addiction: ever-stronger involvement with the celebrity

Question 10

What is the relations of attachment theory to parasocial relationships?

Answer 10

People who had an insecure-resistant attachment at childhood are more likely to form a parasocial relationship to meet unfulfilled needs without rejection

Question 11

Negative evaluation of theories in relation to parasocial relationships

Answer 11

• Most research uses self-report methods to collect data e.g. questionnaires, where participants may answer in a way they think enhances their social status
• Most studies use correlation analysis. For example, strong correlation found between celebrity worship and body image; cannot assume this is caused by intense-personal parasocial relationship; may have had pre-existing poor body self-image