THEORIES OF RELATIONSHIPS - DUCK'S PHASE MODEL Flashcards
what is Duck’s phase model?
explanation of stages people go through when relationship doesn’t work
Duck says that..
it is the process of breakdown, not a one off event as it is a process that takes time
what are the 4 breakdown stages marked by?
a threshold that a partner/relationship reaches when partner realises they are dissatisfied
what are the 4 breakdown stages?
intra-psychic stage
dyadic stage
social stage
grave-dressing stage
intra-psychic stage (INSIDE)
threshold - ‘i cant stand this’
determined to change something, dissatisfied partner broods on dissatisfaction, look at alternatives
dyadic stage (DICK)
threshold - ‘ would be justified in withdrawing’
focus on interpersonal processes in partners, cannot avoid problem and discuss dissatisfaction, characterised by anx, hostility, lack of equity
can either break up or repair relationship
social stage
threshold - ‘i mean it’
focus on wider processes e.g. couples social networks, break up is public, gossip is traded or encouraged, friends can either provide reassurance/jeopardize relationship e.g. provide secret info
break up continues
grave-dressing stage
threshold - ‘ its now inevitable ‘
focus on the aftermath, time to bury the relationship, partners create a story of breakup for public consumption while maintaining their ‘social credit’
conc - ‘ time to get a new life ‘
4 eval points for Ducks phase model
+ useful real-life application
- methodological issues
- description rather than explanation
- cultural bias
useful real life application
P - a strength is that it allow us to identify and understand stages of relationship breakdown and ways of reversing it
E - recognises that different repair strategies are more effective in diff parts in breakdown
E - Duck says in intra-psychic stage can focus brooding on positive aspects of their partner for greater stability in the relationship
L - increase practical application as such insights can be used in relationship counselling
methodological issues
P -a weakness of Duck’s research model is that it is retrospective
E - ppts give exp of breakdown after it has ended
E - therefore what they recall might not be accurate/reliable, also impossible to study early stages as researchers involvement could worsen things
L - Duck’s model based on research that ignores early part of process, decrease reliability as researcher imposition can occur
description rather than an explanation
P - a weakness of Duck’s model is that it is less successful as an exp of why relationship breakdowns occur
E - Flemlee’s fatal attraction hypothesis argues that causes of relationship breakdown can be found in attractive qualities that bought partners together
E - partners get too much of what they were looking for e.g. good banter can lead to someone not taking things seriously
L - offers a better alternative exp of why relationships break down rather than what happens during it
cultural bias
P - a weakness of Duck’s phase model is that has cultural bias
E - Moghaddam et al found relationships in individualist cultures are voluntary and freq come to an end, whereas in collectivist cultures they are more likely to be obligatory and less easy to end
E - this can be due to involvement from the wider family or arranged marriage
L - the whole conception of romantic relationships differs between cultures, therefore it is unlikely the process of breakdown will be the same
