Week 6 Interpersonal Relationships

Question 1

The science of relationships

Answer 1

• Data collection
• WEIRD (western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic)
• Individuals
• Couples
• Self-report
• Observation
• Physiological measures
• Experimental/non-experimental

Question 2

Example: Experimental design

Answer 2

• Punishment and forgiveness in couples (see Fitness and Peterson, 2008)
  o 64 couples
  o random allocation
  o experimental = recall a betrayal; control = think about yesterday
  o participate in ‘taste experiment’ and administer hot sauce to partner

Question 3

Statistical methods

Answer 3

• descriptive stats
• correlation models (e.g. regression)
• SEM/path analysis/MLM
• Longitudinal growth curve analyses

Question 4

Attraction: a theory of relationship initiation

Answer 4

-	Proximity – liking those near us
o	Convenient
o	Familiar
o	But constant exposure not always good?
-	Physical attractiveness – liking those who are lovely
o	Bias for beauty
o	What is ‘pretty’?
o	Reciprocity – liking those who like us
o	Similarity – liking those who are like us
•	Opposites don’t really attract

Question 5

What is love?

Answer 5

• Ancient greeks = passionate versus platonic

- Definition of love depends on the theory

Question 6

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: Liking

Answer 6

Intimacy alone

Question 7

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: Companionate Love

Answer 7

Intimacy + Commitment

Question 8

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: Empty love

Answer 8

Commitment alone

Question 9

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: Fatuous love

Answer 9

Passion and commitment

Question 10

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: Infatuation

Answer 10

Passion Alone

Question 11

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: Romantic love

Answer 11

Intimacy and Passion

Question 12

Consummate Love

Answer 12

Intimacy, passion and commitment

Question 13

Lee’s 1976 colours of love taxonomy: Primary Colours

Answer 13

o Eros
o Storge
o Ludus

Question 14

Lee’s 1976 colours of love taxonomy: Secondary Colours

Answer 14

o Pragma
o Mania
o Agape

Question 15

Assessment of Love

Answer 15

• Sternberg (1998)
  o 45 item Triangular Love Scale, 15 items for each element
  o intimacy subscale designed to reflect feelings of warmth, support, self-disclosure, trust, and other aspects of intimate connection
  o passion subscale designed to capture the more intense, physical, and exciting elements of romantic relationships
  o commitment subscale assesses feelings of stability, commitment, and permanence
• Lee’s model has inspired the development of many measures
• Most well-known is the Love Attitudes Scale (Hendrick and Hendrick, 1986)
  o 42 items
  o reliably measures the 6 love styles
  o each items refers to a specific love relationship as opposed to more general attitudes about love

Question 16

Individual and Group Differences in Love Style

Answer 16

• love experiences vary as a function of individual difference and group variables
  o women score higher on storge and pragma than do men; men tend to score higher on ludus (e.g. Dion and Dion, 1993)
  o Asian american adults often score lower on eros and higher on pragma and storge than do Caucasian, Latino, and African American adults
  o Latino groups often score higher on ludus than do Caucasian groups
  o Americans tend to endorse a more storgic and manic approach to love than do the French, who in turn tend to demonstrate higher levels of agape
• Intra-individual changes over time?

Question 17

Love languages (Chapman, 1995)

Answer 17

• Relationships are strengthened when partners ‘speak’ the same languages about love
  o Acts of service
  o Physical touch
  o Words of affirmation
  o Quality time
  o Gift giving
• But this hasn’t been tested empirically – based on Chapman’s clinical observations
• Bunt and Hazelwood (2017)
  o No evidence to support the love language alignment contributing to relationship satisfaction nor knowing about a partner’s love language contributing to satisfaction (but individual love languages do predict satisfaction, supporting at least part of the model)
  o But government intiatives have been tied to this program!

Question 18

The love theory to end all love theories?

Answer 18

• Attachment styles
  o Historical background
• Categorical approaches
  o E.g. hazan and Shaver (1987)

Question 19

Dimensions of Attachment: Anxiously Attached

Answer 19

• High anxiety, low avoidance

- Positive view of other, negative view of self

Question 20

Dimensions of Attachment: Avoidantly attached: Dismissing

Answer 20

Dismissing:

• High Avoidance, low anxiety
• Positive view of self, negative view of others

Question 21

Dimensions of Attachment: Avoidantly attached: Fearful

Answer 21

Fearful:

• High avoidance, high anxiety
• Negative view of self, negative view of others