FAF: Filter Theory

• Filter theory:

  • Kerckhoff and Davis (1962) compared the attitudes and personalities of student couples in short-term and long-term relationships
  • They devised a filter theory to explain how such romantic relationships form and develop
  • They claimed we all have a ‘field of availables’ which is all the people we could realistically form a relationship with
  • However, not everyone available to us is desirable
• Filter Theory:

  • Filter theory suggests there are three main factors that act as filters to narrow down our range of partner choice to a ‘field of desirables’ – the people we actually want to form a relationship with
  • Each of these three factors has a different level of importance at different stages of a relationship
• Social Demography (1st Level of Filter)

  • Social demography refers to a wide range of factors which influence the chances of potential partners meeting each other in the first place
  • Geographical location, social class, level of education, ethnic group, religion, etc.
  • You are more likely to meet people who are physically close and share several demographic characteristics
  • Effectively, anyone who is too ‘different’ (e.g. Too far away, too middle class, etc.) is discounted as a potential partner
• Social Demography

  • The outcome of this filtering is homogamy – meaning you are more likely to form a relationship with someone who is socially and culturally similar to you
• Similarity in Attitudes (2nd Level of Filter)

  • Similarity of attitudes is important to the development of romantic relationships, but only for couples who had been together less than 18 months
  • There is a need for partners in the earlier stages of a relationship to agree over basic values 
  • This encourages greater and deeper communication and self-disclosure
  • Byrne suggests that this similarity causes attraction (the law of attraction) 
  • If such similarity does not exist then the partners may go out together a few times but the relationship is likely to fizzle out
• Complementarity (3rd Level of Filter)

  • The third filter concerns the ability of romantic partners to meet each other’s needs. 
  • Two partners complement each other when they have traits that allow them to meet their partner’s needs
  • For example, if a man lacks economic resources they may be attracted to a female who has good financial prospects as she meets his needs
  • Or if a woman has the need to be cared for, they will feel more attracted to a man who has a caring personality because he meets her needs
• Complementarity

  • Kerckhoff and Davis found that this need for complementarity was more important for the long-term couples
  • Complementarity gives couples the feeling that together they form a whole, strengthening their relationship
• AO3:

  • A limitation of filter theory is that it suggests partners are initially attracted to each other because they are similar
  • However, Anderson et al (2003) found that cohabiting partners became more similar over time
  • This suggests that being in a relationship causes an individual to become more similar to their partner, rather than similarity causing them to become attracted in the first place
  • These findings therefore go against the filter theory suggestion that similarity causes attraction
• AO3:

  • A limitation of filter theory is that many studies have failed to replicate the original findings that formed the basis of the filter theory
  • This may be because of social changes over time
  • For example, Kerckhoff and Davis assumed that a ‘long-term relationship’ was one which continued longer than 18 months 
  • However, the definition of a long-term relationship can vary between cultures and has changed a lot since the filter theory was developed
  • It may not be the case that partners who have been together for longer than 18 months necessarily have more committed and deeper relationships
• AO3:

  • A strength of filter theory is that there is research to support it.
  • Winch (1958) found evidence that similarities of personality, interests and attitudes between partners are typical of the earliest stages of relationships
  • This supports the 2nd level of filter theory (similarity of attitudes) as it suggests that there is need for partners to agree with each other during the early stages of a relationship in order for that relationship to be successful
• AO3:

  • A limitation of filter theory is that it lacks temporal validity.
  • For example, the rise of internet dating in recent years means that social demographic factors (1st level of filter theory) aren’t as important in starting relationships as they used to be
  • This contradicts the filter theory as there are greater opportunities now for initiating relationships compared to the 1960s when the theory was developed 
  • This means that social demographics aren’t as much of a factor in initial attractiveness due to the development of online dating
• AO3 continued:

  • Research challenges the claim of filter theory that complementarity becomes more important than similarity later in a relationship
  • For example, Anderson et al. (2003) found that similarity increases over time
  • This challenges the validity of filter theory as it suggests that complementarity is not as important in long-term relationships as the theory suggests. 
  • Instead the research suggests that similarity may be more important in developing and maintaining long-term relationships