Filter Theory

• Filter Theory:Kerckhoff & Davis(1962)


  Describes how we choose romantic partners by filtering out those who don’t meet certain criteria
• 3 Main Filters:

  • Social Demography
  • Similarity in Attitude
  • Complementarity of Needs
• Social Demography:


  • First filter which involves external factors that affect who we meet and find attractive
  • Location- More likely to form relationships with others who live nearby because it’s convenient
  • Class- Comfortable with others from similar backgrounds, so they’re more likely to date those in the same social group
  • Religion/Ethnicity- Shared cultural and religious values can create a stronger bond
• Similarity in Attitudes:


  • Second Filter
  • People look for someone with shared values, beliefs, and interests
  • Common interests and attitudes help couples feel connected; make conversations easier and more enjoyable
• Complementarity of Needs:


  • Third Filter
  • Partners bring different strengths or qualities that "complete" each other
  • This balance helps partners support each other, making relationship feel satisfying and stable.
• Field of Availables:


  Everyone we could potentially date, based on the people we meet in our everyday lives that we have easy access to
• Field of Desirables:


  • Smaller group of people from the field of availables that we’re actually interested in dating
  • After filtering, we're left with people we find most attractive and compatible
• Kerkhoff and Davis's Study – Filter Theory (1962):


  • Filter Theory (Kerckhoff & Davis, 1962) is a model for explaining how relationships develop and why people choose their partners.
  • The theory suggests that individuals go through a series of filters when selecting a potential partner.
  • These filters help narrow down the pool of possible partners based on compatibility, preferences, and shared characteristics.

  The three filters are:

  1. Social Demography (e.g., age, social class, religion, education, location)
  2. Similarity in Attitudes
  3. Complementarity of Needs
• Kerkhoff and Davis’s Study (1962):

  Method

  • Participants: Couples who had been in a relationship for varying lengths of time (from a few months to over 18 months).
  • Procedure: The study compared dating couples' attitudes and their evaluation of each other's personality traits.
  • Couples were asked to complete questionnaires about their attitudes, values, and personality.
  • The couples were divided into two groups: those who had been in a relationship for less than 18 months and those who had been together for more than 18 months.
• Kerkhoff and Davis’s Study (1962):

  Findings:

  • For couples together less than 18 months:
  • Similarity in attitudes was the most important factor in the development of the relationship.
  • Partners who shared similar values, beliefs, and attitudes felt more attracted to each other and were more likely to develop a deeper connection.
  • For couples together for more than 18 months: Complementarity of needs was a stronger predictor.
  • Partners who had opposite but complementary needs (e.g., one being more dominant, the other more submissive) were more likely to stay together in the long run.
• Kerkhoff and Davis’s Study (1962):

  • Conclusion: This study supports the idea that filtering through different stages of a relationship leads to the development of intimacy.
  • At different stages, partners focus on different types of compatibility (similarity in attitudes early on and complementarity in needs later on).