Relationship Breakdown Flashcards
What is relationship breakdown?
When one or both parties feel and believe that their relationship has run its’ course and the best course of action is to seperate/ discontinue their union
Who devised a breakdown model?
Duck
What 6 stages does the breakdown model consist of?
6 stages that describe the processes involved in dissolution or breakdown
1. Breakdown
2. Intra psychic
3. Dyadic
4. Social
5. Grave dressing
6. Resurrection
Describe the fist stage of ducks breakdown model
Stage 1: breakdown
- one of the partners becomes distressed/ dissatisfied with how the relationship is conducted
Describe the second stage of duck BM
- Intra psychic
- feelings of dissatisfaction lead to brooding or dwelling of the issues with their partner
-the disgruntled partner may start to:
A) resent the other partner
B) consider whether they might be better off out of the relationship
- the brooding or dwelling is not shared and is kept internally
Describe the third stage of the breakdown model
- Dyadic
- confrontation of dissatisfaction/ unhappiness
- two things can occur in this stage: - Maintenance/ repair strategies via therapy, time and effort (links to equity theory)
- Beginning of the end- dissatisfaction may be shared with others
Describe the 4th stage of the BM
- dissatisfaction and break up is shared with family and friends
- sharing issues with others makes it harder to deny there is a problem
- family and friends may start to take sides or may offer support
- involvement of others may speed up the breakup i.e dissatisfaction is reinforced via the opinion of family and friends
Describe the 5th stage of the BM
- justification as to the ending of the relationship
- this leads to their side as to what has happened
- the story backs up that they aren’t to blame for the breakup
- an individual is presenting themselves in a positive light
Describe the 6th stage (added in 2006) of the BM
- addresses how each partner prepares themselves for a relationship afterwards
- partners recreate a sense of their value, defining what they want to gain out of a future relationship
- it also examines what partners must avoid as they prepare for a new relationship
- they may come back to life (ie, new hair) to reinvent themselves/ make themselves appealing to others
A03 pros of the break down model
+ research support
+ stage 2 builds off ET maintenance
+ RLA- seen in real life relationships
+ updates and added in 2006
A03 cons of the breakdown model
- breakdown doesn’t always occur in that order
- cultural bias- not applicable in cultures where breakdown doesn’t occur
What are virtual relationships
Relationships formed via the internet and social networks online rather than face-to-face
They have all the appearances of real relationships: connectedness, communication and sharing
What are the two main types of VR
- Actual interactions with real people via Messenger, FaceTime, or internet dating messenger
- Interactions as a character with other characters in online chat rooms and game rooms
Pros of VR
Connectedness, communication and sharing
What age is most common for VR
Mid 20s
Cons of VR
Prone to misinterpretation, trolling, harassment and cyberbullying
What are the two theories of virtual relationships
Theory 1: Self- Disclosure in VR- based on Rubins ‘strangers on a train’ phenomenon
Theory: Gating in VR
Describe the Theory: Self-Disclosure in VR
- the revealing of personal information without the fear of being socially embarrassed is allowed via anonymity in VR
- VR allows information to be shared but without risk of it being leaked to people who know them
- based on Rubins (1975) ‘strangers on a train’ phenomenon, where individuals reveal more personal information to a stranger as they don’t have access to the individual social circle, it allows SD to occur
Theory: Self-Disclosure in VR, SD in VR
- It occurs much more easily, and this means closeness and intimacy occur much more quickly
- Are formed on shared attitudes and interests
- This means relationships for the most part are based on one true self and not a publicly presented false self
- Creates high levels of affection which are sustained when people meet (as courting/ dating has been done online)
Describe the Theory: Gating in VR
- gating refers to the barriers that limit opportunities for the less attractive, or less socially skilled to form relationships in face-to-face encounters
- VR allows for the absence of barriers
- because VR allow for anonymity, a person’s true self is more likely to be active in a VR as they can protect their actual identity
- the absence of gating means closer, more intense relationships are formed more quickly as an individual is protected because of the lack of barriers
- VR allows for a socially desirable self to be projected when looking for romantic partners
- However, VR can be manipulated based on what information you do and do not want to share
A03 SD of VR
+ research support- rosenfield and Thomas
+ temporal validity- VR are a relatively new phenomenon
+ RLA
A03 cons of SD of VR
- cultural differences lead to beta bias- Yum and Hara
- SD it not always positive- leads to stalking and catfishing
A03 pros for absence of gating in VR
+ research support- Mckenna
+ temporal validity
Define attraction
Refer to the action or power of evoking interest in or liking for someone or something
What are factors that affect attraction in romantic relationships
- self- disclosure
- physical attractiveness
- similarity, complementarity
What is self-disclosure
- the revealing of personal information about oneself to others
- SD is said to allow romantic relationships to develop, as romantic partners reveal more about their true selves as their relationship develops overtime
- SD about ones deepest thoughts and feelings can strengthen a romantic bond when used appropriately
- SD occurs both verbally and non-verbally but generally only happens when sufficient trust has been established
Describe self-disclosure as a factor in attraction
- Atman and Taylor (1973) as a part of social penetration said that SD has two elements:
. Breadth and Depth by comparing it to the layers within an onion - initially, lots of superficial information is disclosed mostly LOW RISK INFORMATION that would be disclosed to virtually anyone
- as the relationship develops, SD becomes deeper, with more-in-depth information shared and the revealing of ones true self- this encompasses a wide range of topics
- there is MEDIUM RISK INFORMATION AND HIGH RISK INFORMATION that will mostly likely only be shared with who theyd want to share with a special person
- Atman and Taylor saw the disclosure of personal information as rewarding as it signals their liking of us and their desire to be more intimate with us
What researchers are involved with self- disclosure as a factor in attraction
Atman and Taylor
Research to support SD as a factor of attraction
Spreecher- disclosing personal information increased the liking in the recipient
Dindia and Allen- SD open to gender differences- females more likely to disclose than males
A03 pros of SD as a factor of attraction
+ research support for SD being positive- Spreecher
A03 cons of SD as a factor of attraction
- gender differences in SD- Dindia and Allen- beta bias
- reductionist
- ignores individual differences
What is physical attraction
- PA refers to a potential physical appearance in terms of the characteristics and/ or traits they posses
- it can also be a feature of sexual and / or aesthetic attraction
- the idea is that one individual is drawn to another , based on the features they have
- PA is said to be one of the most important factors in the initial formation of relationships
- PA characteristics, as factors that affect attraction will be unique to an individual, as what one person deems attractive, another will not vice versa
- however, PA regardless of individual differences of people is said to be as important factor in not only the formation of a relationship but also the future basis of it in terms of marriage etc
What two theories for PA look at factors that affect attraction?
- The halo effect
- Matching pairs hypothesis
Describe The Halo Effect
- THE describes how one distinguishing feature tends to have a disproportionate influence on the judgments of a persons other attributes
- PA may also matter due to preconceived ideas about the personality traits attractive people must have, and they are almost universally positive
- this is the physical attractiveness stereotype, ‘what is beautiful is good’
- dion found that physically attractive people are consistently rated as kind, strong, sociable, and successful compared to unattractive people
- the belief that good-looking people have these characteristics makes them more attractive to us, so we behave positively to them
Describe The Matching Hypothesis
- suggests that people choose romantic partners who are roughly a similar level of PA to them
- to do this we have to make a realistic judgement about our own value (score 1 to 10) to a potential partner by choosing someone of a similar value- our choice of partner is a compromise
- we desire the most physically attractive partner possible for all sorts of evolutionary, social, cultural and psychological reasons
- we balance these reasons against the wish to avoid being rejected by someone out of our league who is very unlikely to consider us as physically attractive
Who proposed the matching hypothesis
Walster
Walster dance study - contradictory evidence for the matching hypothesis
752 First year students at the University of Minnesota invited to attend a dance party. They were secretly judged by a panel in terms of attractiveness and then randomly matched to a partner. During intervals at the dance study and 4 to 6 months later students were asked whether they found their partner attractive. Students expressed higher appreciation of their partner if the partner was attractive, regardless of their own level of attractiveness. - contradictory evidence to the matching hypothesis predictions but does show PA as a factor of attraction
Feingold supportive evidence for the matching hypothesis
Feingold carried out a meta-analysis of 17 studies using real-life couples. He established a strong correlation between the partners’ rating of attractiveness
A03 pros of the matching hypothesis and the halo effect
Who devised the filter theory
Kerckhoff and Davis
What is the filter theory
Kerckhoff and Davis argued that relationships develop through filters
Each filter has different factors, and these become important at different times
Unsuitable partners are filtered out at each stage through a process from the ‘field of availables’ to the field of ‘desirables’
