Relationships Flashcards
Sexual Selection
Evolutionary explanation of partner preference.
Attributes or behaviours that increase reproductive success are passed on.
Human Reproductive Behaviour
Any behaviours which relate to opportunities to reproduce and increase the survival chances of our genes.
Self-disclosure
Revealing personal information about yourself to a partner, which can strengthen a romantic bond when used appropriately.
Physical Attractiveness
How appealing we find a person’s face - there’s an assumption that we seek to form relationships with the most attractive person available.
Anisogamy
The differences between male and female sex cells.
Male Gametes
Sperm - extremely small, highly mobile, created continuously in vast numbers from puberty to old age, don’t require much energy to produce.
Female Gametes
Eggs/ ova - relatively large, static, produced at intervals for a limited number of fertile years, require huge investment of energy.
Inter-sexual selection
Refers to mate choices of males or females (quality over quantity).
Sexy Sons Hypothesis: Fisher, 1930
A female mates with a male who has a desirable characteristic, this ‘sexy’ trait is inherited by her son.
Intra-sexual selection
Refers to the competition between males to be able to mate with a female (quantity over quality).
Social Penetration Theory: Altman and Taylor, 1973
The gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone else.
Involves reciprocal exchange of information between intimate partners.
Reciprocity: Reis and Shaver, 1988
A balance of self-disclosure between both partners results in a more successful romantic relationship.
Matching Hypothesis: Waltster et al, 1966
The belief that we do not select the most attractive person as a prospective partner, but we are attracted to people who approximately ‘match’ us in physical attractiveness.
Filter Theory
A series of different factors progressively limits the range of available romantic partners to a much smaller pool of possibilities.
Social Demography
First level of filter theory.
Geographical location and social class.
Many relationships are formed between partners who share social demographic characteristics.
Similarity in attitudes
Second level of filter theory.
We find partners who share our basic beliefs and values in the earlier stages of a relationship.
Complementarity
Third level of filter theory.
Similarity becomes less important as a relationship develops.
It is replaced by a need for your partner to balance your traits with opposite ones of their own.
Social Exchange Theory (SET) - Thibault and Kelley
How relationships form and develop.
It assumes that romantic partners act out of self-interest in exchanging rewards and costs.
Rewards, costs and profits - SET
A satisfying and committed relationships when rewards exceed costs and potential alternatives are less attractive than the current relationship.
Rewards = companionship, sex, emotional support.
Comparison Level - SET (CL)
The amount of reward you believe you deserve to get.
Develops out of our experiences from previous relationships.
Comparison Level for Alternatives - SET (CLalt)
Duck (1994) - the CLalt we adopt depends on the state of the current relationship.
Being in a satisfying relationship may mean you might not notice other alternatives exist.
Stages of relationship development
Sampling stage, bargaining stage, commitment stage, institutionalisation stage.
Equity Theory: Walster et al, 1978
An economic theory of how relationships develop.
Acknowledges impact of rewards and costs on relationship satisfaction, criticises SET for ignoring equity.
Equity
Fairness.
Commitment
A romantic partner’s intention or desire to continue a relationship, reflecting a belief that the relationship has a viable long-term future.
Satisfaction
The extent to which romantic partners feel the rewards of the relationship exceed the costs.
Comparison with alternatives
A judgement that partners make concerning whether a relationship with a different partner would bring more rewards and fewer costs.
Investment
The resources associated with a romantic relationship which the partners would lose if the relationships were to end.
Rusbult’s Investment Model
Satisfaction with comparison alternatives, investment size, satisfaction versus commitment, relationship maintenance mechanisms.
Absence of Gating
Face-to-face relationships fail to form sometimes due to obstacles such as facial disfigurements that some people might find off-putting.
These barriers are absent in computer-mediated communication.
Parasocial Relationships
Those which are similar to ‘normal’ relationships but lack a key element.
They are one-sided, unreciprocated relationships, (usually with a celebrity).
Levels of Parasocial Relationship: McCutcheon et al, 2002
A three-step description of one sided relationships: entertainment-social, intense-personal, borderline pathological.
Entertainment-social
Least intense level of celebrity worship.
Celebrities are viewed as sources of entertainment and fuel for social reaction.
Intense-personal
Intermediate level of celebrity worship.
Reflects a greater personal involvement in a parasocial relationship
Borderline pathological
Strongest level of celebrity worship.
Features uncontrollable fantasies and some extreme behaviours, such as spending a large sum of money on a celebrity-related object.
Absorption-addiction model: McCutcheon, 2002
Explains parasocial relationships as total pre-occupation in a celebrity’s life, plus an addictive striving after a stronger involvement.
Absorption
Seeking fulfilment in celebrity worship motivates the individual to focus their attention as far as possible on the celebrity, to become pre-occupied in their existence and identify with them.
Addiction
Individual needs to sustain their commitment to the relationship by feeling a stronger and closer involvement with the celebrity. This may lead to more extreme behaviours and delusional thinking.
Attachment Theory
An explanation of how an enduring emotional bond forms between two people that persists over time. Leads to certain behaviours such as clinginess and proximity-seeking.
