Relationships-Duck's phase model of relationship breakdown

Question 1

Who created the relationship breakdown idea?

Answer 1

Duck (1992)

Question 2

What were some of the reasons for relationship breakdown that Duck mentioned?

Answer 2

• Poor education
• Early Parenthood
• Lack of sexual satisfaction
• Lack of social skills

Question 3

What are the four phases to breakup?

Answer 3

Phase 1-Intra Psychic Phase
Phase 2-Dyadic Phase
Phase 3-Social Phase
Phase 4-Grave Dressing Phase

Question 4

What is the Intra Psychic Phase?

Answer 4

One of partners becomes more and more dissatisfied with relationship- they do not tell partner yet

Question 5

What is the Dyadic phase?

Answer 5

• Here other perons gets told and becomes involved in knowing about dissatisfaction
• If dissatisfaction is not acceptably resolved, progression onto next phase

Question 6

What is the Social Phase?

Answer 6

• Where break-up is ‘aired’ and made public e.g. to family and friends
• Also where social implications e.g. care of friends are negotiated
• If relationship not saved here it goes to the final stage

Question 7

What is the Grave Dressing Phase?

Answer 7

• Here ex-partners begin organisation of post-relationship lives
• They begin pubicising their own accounts of breakdown and what is nature of new relationship with ex-partner

Question 8

How do Gottman (1994) and Acitelli (1988) support the Dyadic Phase?

Answer 8

Both give examples of dyadic processes; people tend to go for marriage guidance counselling after initial dissatisfaction has been expressed, and usually try to save relationship and avoid breakdown

Question 9

What is a further study supporting the model?

Answer 9

Tashiro and Frazier (2003) found individuals feel better about ending a relationship when they focus on situation being responsible for breakdown rather than blaming own flaws- just as Duck’s model predicts

Question 10

What are the positives of the model?

Answer 10

• Supported by research

- Has useful applications in real-life e.g. relation to couples’ counselling

Question 11

What are the negatives of the model?

Answer 11

• Significant ethical issues involved in investigating relationship breakdown, such as privacy, also ethical issues of confidentiality and protection from psychological harm
• Most research based on retrospective data e.g. questionnaires or interviews so people’s memories of events may not be accurate and meaning answers are not reliable reducing validity