Relationships : Duck’s Phase Model Flashcards
Duck’s Phase Model
Duck’s phase model is a model of relationship breakdown that suggests that breakdown occurs in a series of steps or phases: intra-psychic, dyadic, social, and grave-dressing.
Intra-Psychic Phase
The intra-psychic phase is the first phase in Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown. This is where a person starts to feel dissatisfied and under-benefited in their relationship, but they don’t say anything to their partner.
Dyadic Phase
The dyadic phase is the second phase in Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown, and it is where a person who is unhappy in their relationship confronts their partnerand explains why they are dissatisfied. This phase may also
involve feelings of anger and guilt.
Social phase
The social phase is the third phase in Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown. This is where the person begins to make their dissatisfaction public by telling family and friends about their discontent. These may take sides, offer support or help try and mend the relationship.
Grave-Dressing Phase
Grave-dressing is the final phase in Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown and takes place when a person who has lep their relationship attempts to justify their actions. This is open because they are attempting to present themselves in a positive light in order to aJract a new partner.
What is relationship dissolution?
Many people view relationship breakdown as a one-off event that just happens when one partner decides to leave a relationship. However, social psychologist Steven Duck (2007) suggested that relationship dissolution is a process that consists of several distinctive stages
What is the intra-psychic stage? ( first stage of Duck’s phase model)
This is when a person admits to himself or herself that they are dissatisfied with their relationship, and they spend a lot of time thinking about the reasons for this dissatisfaction and possible ways forward. This stage focuses on a person’s internal thought process that occurs before confronting the partner. Before a person moves to the next stage, they reach a threshold of thinking ‘I can’t stand this anymore’.
What is the dyadic stage? ( second stage of Duck’s phase model)
The second phase, called dyadic, occurs when a person confronts their partner and voices their dissatisfaction . At this stage there are a lot of complaints coming from the partner initiating the break-up; common complaints involve a partner’s commitment to relationships. The dissatisfied partner also rethinks the alternatives to their current relationships. The threshold that is reached at this stage is: ‘I would be justified in withdrawing’
What is the social phase stage? ( third stage of Duck’s phase model)
If, up to this point, the couple generally kept their disagreements private, at the next phase they involve friends and relatives and make their distress public. This is the social phase of relationship breakdown. According to Duck, once the conflict reaches this stage, it is more difficult for a couple to mend their relationship: friends and family will take sides, intervene in the couple’s relationship and offer advice, which makes reconciliation much more problematic. The threshold at this stage is ‘I mean it’. The social phase usually leads to the dissolution of the relationship.
What is the grave-dressing stage? ( fourth stage of Duck’s phase model)
Having left their partner, both sides construct their version of why their relationship broke down, usually minimising their faults and maximising their partner’s, but at the same time trying to show themselves as trustworthy and loyal in order to attract a new partner. This process is called ‘grave-dressing’, signifying the closure of the previous relationship and readiness to start a new one. The threshold here is, unsurprisingly, ‘It’s time to start a new life’.
Research supporting Ducks’s phase model?
There is also research to indicate the importance of the grave-dressing stage, as the dissolution of a relationship is a very stressful event, and many people experience anxiety and depression while going through it. However, Tashiro and Frazier (2003) found that if ex-partners viewed the situation, rather than their own faults, as being responsible for the break-up, they open saw the ending relationships in a more positive light.
What was the Rollie and Duck
(2006) ? - The fifth Stage ; Resurrection study?
Threshold Indicator – “Things will be different next time”
• Modification of the original model due to criticisms of it being incomplete – fifth stage was added
• Ex-partners will look forward to future relationships and look back on their past experiences
• Experiences gained from previous relationships can be taken forward to potentially improve future ones
Strengths of the Model
Real-Life Application
• Allows us to identify various stages and actions in a relationship as well as suggesting ways to reverse the stages
• Different repair strategies are more useful at different stages of relationships
• Duck (1994) – people in the intra-psychic phase can be pushed to focus on the positve aspects of
their partner
• Dyadic phase involves communication, and working on this skills can lead to greater communication in a relationship
• Can be used in relationship/marriage counselling
Points about the methodology In Ducks theory?
• The research is retrospective – perspectives are given mainly after relationships have ended
• What individuals recall may not be accurate/reliable
• Early stages especially after a long time may be interpreted differently
• Hard to distinguish at what stage the problems first arise
• Researchers tend to stay away from studying relationships in very early stages, as this can negatively affect the new relationship further
• Duck’s model ignores the early part of the process
Limitations of the Theory
- Description not Explanation
• More of a descriptive take, does not explain why relationships break down
• Flemlee (1995) – fatal attraction hypothesis; the cause of relationship breakdown can be found in the attractive qualities uniting the partners in the first place
• Relationship is threatened as the partners are getting too much of what they were looking for
• Positive traits turn into negative traits
Cultural Bias
• Model is firmly based on relationships in Western cultures
• Moghaddam et al (1993) – relationships in individualist cultures are voluntary and come to an end, whereas relationships in individualist cultures more likely to be obligatory, involve more people, and are potentially arranged
• The breakdown of the process is most likely not applicable to all cultures
