Relqtionships Flashcards
Factors affecting attraction
Self disclosure
Intro
Self disclosure refers to revealing personal information about yourself. We share our likes and dislikes and our interests and attitudes. This allows us to understand our partner better and then us.
Factors affecting attraction
Self disclosure
AO1
Altman and Taylor developed the social penetration theory of how relationships develop.
It is a gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone else eg giving away you’e deepest thoughts and feelings. In romantic relationships, when one partner reveals personal infromation they display trust and to go further the other person must also reveal sensitive information. Doing this you are revealing your true self and the partner will respond in a way that is rewarding and shows understanding( reciprocity).
Produces a balance of self disclosure between both partners in a successful relationship which increases feelings of intimacy and deepens the relationship
Evaluation points for factors affecting attraction :self disclosure
Rts sprecher and Hendrick
Its a correlation so cause and effect can not be established
Social desirability bias
PEEL: Rts sprecher and hendrick
Factors affecting attraction: self disclosure
Rts conducted by sprecher and hendrick
Studied heterosexual dating couples and found a strong correlation between several measures of satisfaction and self disclosure.
Men and women who used self discourse and those who believed their partners did likewise were more satisfied with and committed to their romantic relationships
Supports … as a factor influencing attraction in romantic relationships
PEEL: correlation so cause and effect can not be established
Factors affecting attraction: self disclosure
Much of the research into …. Such as sprecher and Hendricks is correlational so only a link is shown between self disclosure and levels of attraction
Not a cause and effect.
There is likely to be a number of factors impacting how successful the romantic relationship is eg physical attractiveness and similarity in attitudes
Limits support and internal validity
PEEL: social desirability
Factors affecting attractiveness: self disclosure
Social desirability bias
Used self report methods such as questionnaires and interviews
Ppt may lie about the amount of information they have disclosed to a partner and how satisfies they are in their relationship to make themselves appear in the better light
Lowers internal validity
Intro to ducks phase model of relationship breakdown
Duck suggested that when relationships breakdown they go through a series of phases. With each stage there is a threshold which is point at which their perception of the relationship changes usually for the worse. Once this threshold has been reached the person is tipped to the next phase of the breakdown
Ducks phase model of relationship breakdown
AO1
There are four stages: intrapsychic phase, dyadic phase, social phase and the grave dressing phase.
First in the intraspychic phase a member of the couple identifies a problem but doesn’t not speak about it with their partner. The dissatisfied partner worries about the reason for their dissatisfaction and begin to weigh up pros and cons of the relationship, evaluating alternatives and beginning to make plans for the future” I can’t stand this anymore”.
Next is the diadic phase which focuses on the interpersonal processes between partners. They can not avoid talking about the relationship any longer and there are confrontations where the relationship is discussed and problems and aired. These are characterised by anxiety and complaints about the lack of equity. There are two possible outcomes for this phase: either the relationship breaks up or a desire to repair is created.
The social phase then follows where the breakdown has happened and other people outside the relationship are told making it public. Mutual friends are encouraged to take a side and there are negotiations about practicalities such as responsibilities of a child and division of assets. Form this point there is no return, the break up takes on momentum divine by social forces
Finally the grave dressing stage is reached where we justify our decision and begin to tell our own version of events to enlist support and to ensure we leave the relationship with low levels of blame. We present the ex partner in a bad light and tend to create a personal story you can live with which may differ from your public one to help tidy up memories of the relationship. Traits which you used like about your partner at the start of the relationship are now interpreted in a more negative fashion.
Evaluation points ducks phase model for relationship model
Practical application
Criticised for being too rigid
Retrospective data
PEEL: practical applications
Ducks phase model for relationship breakdown
Practical applications
As it has been used to create a prevention model for relationship counselling to repair relationships
Based on the phases of the breakup it is possible for intervention at the first two phases before the actual break up
For example the counsellor could encourage an open and calm discussion in the dyadic phase and focus on the positive aspects of their partner in the intrapsychic phase
Therefore can bring stability to the relationship
This shows ducks phase model of relationships breakdown is an important part of applied psychology
PEEL: criticised for being top rigid
Ducks phase model of relationship breakdown
Criticised for being too rigid
Not every person goes through each phase in the order set out by the model it is possible that many can skip from the intrapsychic phase to grave dressing phase
For example a person may be happy in their relationship but then immediately breaks down due to infidelity
In this case the person would skip the first two phases and thresholds and go straight to ending the relationship, not following the phases in a linear order
Therefore … may not be the most effective explanation for explaining a breakdown in relationship
PEEL: retrospective data
Based on retrospective data
Due to the ppt I’m the studies reporting their experiences after some time after the relationship has ended so their recal on the breakdown might not always be accurate and reliable
This is especially true for the early stage phases such as the intrapsychic phase where couples may be in for a long period of time so recall may be distorted
Reduces internal validity
What is a parasocial relationship
2 m
One sided unreciprocated relationships where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time while the other person is completely unaware of their existence eg a celebrity
Levels of parasocial relationships
The questionnaire
McCutcheon developed the celebrity altitude scale which is a questionnaire that identifies three leaves of parasocial relationships. As level increases so does the intensity of the parasocial relationship and celebrity worship
Levels of parasocial relationship
Entertainment social
Least intense level of parasocial relationship
Celebrities viewed as sources of entertainment and individuals may speak about them often with friends for social interaction
For example people may talk about soap operas or reality tv stars
Individual in this level keeps up to date with the activities of this celebrity for the purpose of entertainment
