relationships Flashcards
what is sexual selection?
The gradual process by which inherited characteristics become more common in a population because they confer some advantage that makes it more likely for an individual to successfully secure a mate to reproduce.
what is anisogamy?
the differences between male and female sex cells
these differences led to a rise in different mating strategies; intersexual selection and intrasexual selection.
what is intersexual selection?
females select a genetically fit partner who is able and willing to provide resources
what is the ‘sexy sons’ hypothesis?
females who mate with males who have certain characteristics will then have sons with these ‘sexy’ traits
their sons are then more likely to be chosen by the next generation of females to mate with
what is intrasexual selection?
males compete for the chance to prove themselves worthy to the females.
the winners of the competition get to mate and pass on the characteristics that lead to his victory
what is self-disclosure?
sharing personal information such as thoughts, dreams, goals and ambitions
it’s the idea that relationship formation is built on trust with another person
what is the social penetration theory?
over time, couples reveal more about themselves and the revealing of sensitive information from one partner encourages the other partner to reveal information about themselves
this deepens the relationship and makes the relationship more emotionally intimate
what is the reciprocity of self-disclosure?
for a relationship to develop, there needs to be a reciprocal element.
once one of them discloses themselves, the other person should respond with their own intimate thoughts and feelings
what is physical attractiveness?
refers to what people find appealing about a person’s face and body
physical features that are considered attractive are often signs of fertility and genetic fitness
what is the halo effect?
suggests that physically attractive people were rated highly on other characteristics such as kindness
one characteristic has a disproportionate effect on other judgements about a person
what is the matching hypothesis?
suggests that people choose romantic partners who are of a similar level of attractiveness to themselves due to the fear of rejection from someone who is more attractive than them
what is the filter theory?
an explanation of relationship formation.
it states that a series of different factors progressively reduces the range of available romantic partners to a much smaller pool of possibilities
what is the field of availables?
the entire set of potential romantic partners that people could realistically form a relationship with
what is the field of desirables?
the smaller set of people who share similar attitudes, values and interests
what is the social demography stage of the filter theory?
a range of factors that influence the chances of potential partners meeting each other in the first place.
what is the similarity in attitudes stage of the filter theory?
partners often share important beliefs and values, because the field of availables have been narrowed from the first filter.
what is the complementarity stage of the filter theory?
similarity becomes less important as a relationship develops, and is replaced by a need for your partner to balance your traits with opposite ones of their own.
what is the social exchange theory?
a theory of how relationships form and develop
it is the likelihood of a person staying in a relationship is determined by an assessment of what they get out of the relationship compared to what they put in
what is the minimax principle?
the assumption that people try to maximise the rewards that they obtain from a relationship
maximum rewards - minimum costs = profitable relationships
what are comparison levels?
the amount of rewards that a person believes they should receive.
it is developed through personal experiences of relationships that feed into our expectations of our current relationship, and over time we develop more experience of the social norms which changes our CL as we gain more data.
what are comparison levels for alternatives?
the attractiveness of others (alternatives) outside our relationship
if the costs of our relationship are high, alternatives become more attractive
what is the sampling stage of relationship development?
exploring rewards and costs of social exchange and experimenting with these in our own relationships and observing them in others
what is the bargaining stage of relationship development?
the beginning of the relationship; exchanging rewards and costs, negotiating and identifying what is most profitable
what is the commitment stage of relationship development?
sources of costs and rewards become more predictable; the relationship becomes more stable as rewards increase and costs decrease
what is the institutionalisation of relationship development?
partners are settled and rewards/costs are firmly established
what is the equity theory?
a theory that acknowledges the impact of rewards and costs on relationship satisfaction but takes equity into account
what are the consequences of inequity?
the greater the level of perceived inequity, the greater the level of dissatisfaction within the relationship
what are changes in perceived equity?
what makes people most dissatisfied is the changes in levels of perceived equity over time
how do couples deal with inequity?
the underbenefitted partner is usually motivated to make the relationship more equitable, as long as they believe that it is possible to do so and that the relationship is salvageable.
what is the satisfaction factor of the investment model?
the extent to which romantic partners feel the rewards of a relationship exceeds the costs.
every problem is generally satisfied if they are getting more out of the relationship than they expect based on previous experience or social norms
what is the quality of alternatives factor of the investment model?
a judgement that partners make concerning whether a relationship with a different partner would bring more rewards with fewer costs
what is the investment size factor of the investment model?
the resources associated with a romantic relationship which partners would lose if their relationship were to end
intrinsic investment: tangible things (money) or intangible things (emotions)
extrinsic investment: things that were not originally in the relationship, but now are (car, mutual friends)
what is the intrapsychic phase of relationship breakdown?
- where an individual feels burdened by resentment and underbenefit
- they may not express dissatisfaction during this time
- they express discontentment privately or via social withdrawal
what is the dyadic phase of relationship breakdown?
- they confront the partner about the lack of equity
- guilt and anger surface when rethinking commitment
- it is a pivotal point; potential motivation to save the relationship, undertake counselling or continue breakdown
what is the social phase of relationship breakdown?
- crucial psychological moment
- dissatisfaction is now made public and reconciliation is now difficult
what is the grave-dressing phase of relationship breakdown?
- the focus is on the aftermath
- couples put a ‘spin’ on the end of the relationship to make it palatable for public consumption
- they create a personal story that can be used to retain social credit
- they begin to reinterpret certain features of the relationship
what is the reduced cues theory of virtual relationships?
virtual relationships are less effective than face-to-face relationships because they lack the cues that we usually depend on in ftf interactions
what is the hyperpersonal model of virtual relationships?
argues that virtual relationships can be more personal and involve greater self-disclosure than in ftf.
what is the absence of gating?
ftf relationships often fail to form because of obstacles such as facial disfigurements that some people might find off-putting, and these ‘gates’ are absent in the virtual world,
what is a parasocial relationship?
one sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party is completely unaware of the other’s existence
what is the entertainment social stage of parasocial relationships?
this is where celebrities are viewed as entertainment and fuel for social interaction
what is the intense personal stage of parasocial relationships?
this reflects greater personal involvement, such as having compulsive thoughts about the celebrity.
what is the borderline pathological stage of parasocial relationships?
where the individual starts having uncontrollable fantasies and extreme behaviour.
what is the absorption addiction model of parasocial relationships?
absorption - seeking fulfilment in a celebrity worship motivates an individual to focus their attention as far as possible on the celebrity.
addiction - the individual needs to increase their ‘dose’ in order to gain satisfaction. this leads to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking.
what is the attachment theory explanation of parasocial relationnships?
states that people with insecure-resistant attachment types are most likely to form parasocial, one-sided relationships.
people with insecure-avoidant attachment types prefer to avoid the pain and rejection of relationships altogether, whether they are social or parasocial.
