theories of romantic relationships: duck’s phase model Flashcards
what is the phase model of relationship breakdown?
an explanation of the stages people go through when their relationship is not working. once one partner is dissatisfied, there are four phases in the process, each with a different focus: intra-psychic, dyadic, social and grave dressing
how many phases did duck find?
4
what is each phase marked by?
one partner (or both) reaching a ‘threshold’, a point at which their perception of the relationship changes (usually for the worse)
when does the road to breaking up begin?
once one partner realises that they are dissatisfied with the relationship and distressed about the way things are going
what are the 4 phases duck identified?
•intra-psychic phase
•dyadic phase
•social phase
•grave dressing phase
what is the threshold in the intra-psychic phase?
‘i cant stand this anymore’, indicating a determination that something has to change
what is the intra-psychic phase?
•the focus of this phase is on the cognitive processes occurring within the individual
•the dissatisfied partner worries about their reasons for dissatisfaction
•they mull this over privately or may share them with a trusted friend
•they weigh up the pros and cons of a relationship and evaluate these against alternatives (being alone)
•they begin to make plans for the future
what is the threshold in the dyadic phase?
they eventually come to the conclusion ‘i would be justified in withdrawing’
what is the dyadic phase?
•a focus on interpersonal processes between the two partners
•a series of confrontations where the relationship is discussed and dissatisfactions are aired
•these confrontations are characterised by anxiety, hostility and complaints about a lack of equity
•there are two possible outcomes
-a determination to continue breaking up the relationship
-a renewed desire to repair it (but if this fails, another threshold is reached)
how does self- disclosure play a role in the dyadic phase?
•self- disclosures may become deeper and more frequent in this phase as partners express thoughts and feelings they had been withholding in the intra- psychic phase
what is the threshold in the social phase?
the dissatisfied partner concludes ‘i mean it’
what is the social phase?
•the focus is now on wider processes involving the couples social networks
•the break up is made public and they will seek support
•gossip is traded and encouraged
•some friends will provide reinforcement like ‘you were too good for him’ and others will try to hasten the end with ‘i didn’t want to mention this but…’
•the break up takes on momentum driven by social forces
what is the threshold of the grave dressing phase?
‘it’s now inevitable’
what is the grave dressing phase?
•the focus of this is on the aftermath
•a favourable story is spun for public consumption
•each partner tries to retain some ‘social credit’, gossip plays an important role in this phase
•memories of the relationship are tidied up and you now have a negative view of your partner
•the dissatisfied partner finally reaches the threshold ‘time to get a new life’
strength: real world application
•it suggests ways in which relationship breakdown can be reversed
•it recognises that different repair strategies are more effective at some points in the breakdown than others
•duck recommends that people in the intra-psychic please could be encouraged to focus their worrying on the positive aspects of their partner
•also any attempt to improve social skills could be beneficial not only in the dyadic phase but for fostering stability in the relationship
•these insights can be used in relationships counselling to help people through difficult times
limitation: the model is based on individualist cultures
•the model is based on research into relationship breakdown in individualist cultures, especially in the US
•according to moghaddam, relationships in individualist cultures are generally voluntary and frequently come to an end (eg divorce)
•but relationships in collectivist cultures are less easy to end and involve the wider family
•the whole conception of a romantic relationship differs between cultures
•this means the models application would not be useful in all culture
limitation: an incomplete model
•the original model described on this spread is an incomplete explanation of breakdown
•duck added a fifth phase after grave dressing- the resurrection phase
•ex partners apply what they have learned from their recently ended relationship to their future ones
•researches argue that progression through phases is not inevitable and it is possible to return to phases
•the processes that occur in relationship breakdowns are more important that the move from one phase to another
•therefore the original model does not account for the complexity of breakdown and it’s dynamic nature
limitation: early phases are less understandable
•it underexplains the early phases of breakdown
•this is because much research is retrospective, participants in research studies generally report their experiences some time after the relationship has ended- so what they recall might not always be accurate or reliable
•the early stages occur ‘longer ago’ so the intra-psychic phase might be particularly distorted
•this means that the model may not explain the early part of the breakdown process as well as the later phases
limitation: description rather than explanation
•it describes what happens in a relationship breakdown rather than the factors which cause the breakdown
•in contrast, Felmlee’s fatal attraction hypothesis focuses on why
•she suggests that the trait that led to the initial attraction may be later seen as undesirable
•eg their ‘great sense of humour’ turns to ‘he can’t take anything seriously’
