Social Relationships Flashcards
Social roles
expected behaviours and attitudes that come with one’s
position in society
Social role theory in the past vs now
- focused on quantitative change
across time (old theory) - focused on qualitative
change across time (new
theory) - Both use the concept of
the social clock
Social clock
societal expectations about the timing of life events, such as when people should graduate, start a career, get married, or have children
Marital selection effect
healthier individuals are more likely to get married and stay married, rather than marriage itself directly causing better health outcomes
Marital resources effect
- partnered couples pool their
resources - marriage improves well-being by providing access to social, emotional, and economic resources
Marital crisis effect
- becoming widowed or divorced has poor health consequences
- negative impact that a marital crisis, such as divorce, separation, or ongoing conflict, can have on an individual’s mental and physical health
3 theories for the connection between partnership and health
- Marital selection effect
- Marital resources effect
- Marital crisis effect
Intergenerational solidarity theory
- focuses on the relationships between different generations, specifically within families, and how these relationships influence individuals’ well-being
- has 6 key dimensions
What are the 6 key dimensions of Intergenerational solidarity theory
- Associational solidarity
- Affectional solidarity
- Consensual solidarity
- Functional solidarity
- Normative solidarity
- Intergenerational family structure (Structural solidarity)
Associational solidarity
- frequency and type of interactions
- frequency and patterns of contact between family members, such as visits, calls, and time spent together
Affectional solidarity
- positivity of sentiments
- emotional closeness and warmth felt between generations
Consensual solidarity
- holding of similar values, attitudes, and beliefs
Functional solidarity
– how much family members do for each other
- exchange of tangible support and resources, such as financial aid, caregiving, or assistance with daily tasks
Normative solidarity
- how much family members feel a part of the group
- extent to which family members adhere to cultural or societal expectations regarding roles, such as respecting elders or caring for children
Intergenerational family structure (Structural solidarity)
- how many family members there are
- how close they live
- way in which family members from different generations are connected and interact with each other within the family system
Cohabitation effect
the greater likelihood of divorce among couples who cohabitate before becoming engaged
Explanation for the cohabitation effect
couples who would not have gotten married “slide” into marriage through inertia; in other words, the fact that they were already living together becomes the basis for entering into marriage
Adult attachment categories and their responses on the AAI
- Autonomous (secure)
- Coherent, consistent, relevant responses (even if the responses are negative) - Dismissing (dismissive-avoidant)
- Cannot remember”; minimize the impact that these experiences had on them - Preoccupied (anxious-preoccupied)
- Confused and angry responses; so preoccupied that they are inconsistent (ambivalent) - Unresolved/disorganized (fearful)
- Striking lapses in reasoning, sometimes suffering from results of trauma
Changes in attachment over the lifespan
- slight decrease in dismissive/avoidant attachment scores with increasing age
- large decrease in preoccupied/anxious attachment scores with age, large decrease found after 40 years old
Development of sibling relationships across the lifespan
- Sibling closeness declines
during child-rearing years - Siblings who don’t have children tend to be the closest
- relationships “pick back up again” after the children age
- sibling relationship remains poorly understood in part because there are so many variations to factor in
Gender differences in grandparent-grandchild relationship
- Grandmothers tend to be more involved than grandfathers
- Grandfathers are often less engaged
- gender of grandchild matters too; grandmothers may be especially close to granddaughters, while grandfathers may bond more with grandsons
The grandmother effect
- evolutionary theory suggesting that grandmothers—especially maternal ones—enhance the survival and well-being of grandchildren
- maternal grandmother seems to provide the highest levels of time, resources and emotional closeness
- maternal grandfathers provide second highest
- paternal grandmother provides third highest
- paternal grandfather provides the lowest
