Factors effecting attraction

• Describe the term self-disclosure.

  Self-disclosure is the process through which we reveal information about ourselves. Learning information about our partners helps us to feel like we understand them better and in doing so it increases our attraction towards them.
• Social penetration theory states that attraction develops through the gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone else by giving away your deepest thoughts and feelings. This involves the reciprocal exchange of information, whereby as they disclose more and more, romantic partners ‘penetrate’ more deeply into each other’s lives and gain a greater understanding of each other.
• What model is used to explain social penetration theory?

  The onion model is used to explain this theory: the onion has many layers like we have many layers to our personality. When we meet someone new we only show the outer layers, as we get to know someone better we start to show the inner layers.
• What are the four stages of social penetration theory in order?

  1. Orientation stage
  2. Exploratory stage
  3. Affective stage
  4. Stable stage
• What happens in the orientation stage of social penetration theory?

  In this stage people are polite and cautious, they will talk about general topics and hobbies.
• What happens in the exploratory stage of social penetration theory?

  In this stage people start to share more personal information, talking about their feelings and opinions. Trust also starts to build along with a closer bond forming.
• What happens in the affective stage of social penetration theory?

  In this stage people feel comfortable sharing deeper emotions, they will discuss personal dreams, fears and secrets.
• What happens in the stable stage of social penetration theory?

  In this stage people know each other very well, they can predict each other's actions and share almost everything.
• As a relationship grows the breadth (the range of topics people discuss) and depth (how personal/deep the conversations are) also grow. Initially, the breadth is usually wide while the depth is shallow.
• How is social penetration theory beneficial?

  This theory is beneficial as it reminds us that building close relationships takes time and effort.
• What is filter theory?

  Filter theory was proposed by Ferchoff and Davis, it theorises that when seeking a partner we apply a series of ‘filters’ to narrow down the pool of available candidates. It is believed that applying these filters will make attraction more likely to develop with those that are remaining.
• How is social demography used in filter theory?

  Social demography refers to variables such as age, social background and proximity. People with whom we do not come into contact due to these variables are ‘filtered out’ from the ‘field of availables’.
• How is similarity in attitudes used in filter theory?

  This is most important at the beginning of a relationship (<18 months) and a good predictor of whether a relationship is likely to become stable. Agreeing on basic values encourages deeper self-disclosure and consequently attraction.
• How is complementarity used in filter theory?

  Complementarity refers to how well two people meet each other’s needs. For example, one person enjoys making their partner laugh whilst the other enjoys being made to laugh. Complementarity was found to be more important in long-term relationships as it gives two people the feeling of being whole and so adds depth to attraction and the relationship.
• What is matching hypothesis?

  This is a hypothesis made by Walster et al after his computer dance study which tested this hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that our assessment of our own attractiveness may play a role in choosing a romantic partner. We choose a romantic partner who is roughly of similar physical attractiveness to ourselves, and in order to do this we need to make a realistic judgement about our ‘value’ to a potential partner.
• Matching hypothesis suggests that our partner choice is a compromise, as we desire the most physically attractive but we balance this against the wish to avoid being rejected by someone who is ‘out of our league’.