Relationship Breakdown

Question 1

What is the phase model of relationship breakdown?

Answer 1

• an explanation of the stages people go through when their relationship isn’t working.

Question 2

Who proposed the phase model of relationship breakdown?

Answer 2

• Duck

Question 3

What did Duck argue about relationship breakdown?

Answer 3

• that it was not a one off event but a process that takes time and goes through four distinct stages, each phase is marked by a partner reaching a ‘threshold’, a point at which their perception of their relationship changes, usually for the worst.

Question 4

When does the road to a break-up begin?

Answer 4

• once a partner realises that they are dissatisfied with the relationship and distressed about the way things are going.

Question 5

What is the first phase?

Answer 5

Intra-Psychic Phase

Question 6

What does the intro-psychic phase involve?

Answer 6

• they focus is on the cognitive processes occurring within the individual, who is privately dissatisfied with the relationship.
• they individually focus on their partners behaviour and asses the negatives of being in the relationship, consider the costs of withdrawal and assesses positive aspects of possible alternative relationships.

Question 7

What is the second phase?

Answer 7

• the dyadic phase

Question 8

What happens in the dyadic phase?

Answer 8

• the dissatisfied partner confronts the other partner and discusses their feelings, there may be complaints of lack of equity, resentment of imbalanced roles or discussion of anxiety and hostility.
• there are two possible outcomes, a determination to continue breaking up the relationship or a renewed desire to repair it.

Question 9

What is the third phase?

Answer 9

• the social phase

Question 10

What happens in the social phase?

Answer 10

• the break-up is made public and partners seek support from 3rd parties (friends and family) who are expected to choose a side. Gossip is traded and encouraged.
• each partner justifies the break-up and there is a negotiation about practicalities (childcare responsibilities etc).

Question 11

What is the final stage?

Answer 11

• the grave-dressing phase

Question 12

What happens during the grave-dressing phase?

Answer 12

• the focus of this phase is on the aftermath, the partners make up a favourable story about the breakdown for public consumption so that they can maintain a positive reputation, usually at the expense of the other partner.
• create a personal narrative of the relationship.

Question 13

Evaluation - An Incomplete Model

Answer 13

• Rollie and Duck: the original model is oversimplified so they modified it and added a fifth phase (resurrection phase) - ex-partners turn their attention to future relationships using the experience gained from their recently ended one.
• They made it clear that progression from one phase to the next is not inevitable, it is possible to return to an earlier point in the process in any phase.
• New model emphasises the processes that occur in relationship breakdown (gossip in the social phase) rather than linear movement from one phase to the next.
• These changes overcome the weaknesses of the original model, that is a limited explanation because it does not account for the dynamic nature of breakups with all their inherent uncertainty and complexity.

Question 14

Evaluation - Real-Life Applications

Answer 14

• Strength = helps us to understand the stages of relationship breakdown but also suggests various ways of reversing it.
• Model is useful because it recognises that different repair strategies are more effective at particular points of relationship breakdown than at others.
• Duck recommends that in the intro-psychic phase people could be encouraged to focus their brooding on the positive aspects of their partner.
• A feature of the dyadic phase is communication, any attempt to improve this and perhaps improve wider social skills could be beneficial in fostering greater stability in the relationship.
• Insights can be used in relationship counselling.

Question 15

Evaluation - Doesn’t Apply To All Relationship Breakup

Answer 15

• people may not go through all the phases in order for example the “sudden death” of relationships as a result of infidelity.

Question 16

Evaluation - Culture Bias

Answer 16

• This theory, and most of the research underlying it, is based on the experience of relationships in Western cultures, in particular the USA.
• Moghaddam et al: relationships in individualist cultures are generally voluntary and frequently come to an end.
• Collectivist relationships are more likely to be obligatory, less easy to end, involves the wider family and sometimes even arranged with little involvement of the partners.