Filter Theory

• Filter Theory

  Suggests 3 main factors that act as filters to reduce the number of people who we could form a relationship with (field of available) down to the people who we most want to form a relationship with (field of desirable)
• Filters:

  1. Social Demography
  2. Similarity in Attitudes
  3. Complementarity
• Social Demography

  • First level of filter
  • Most likely to partner with someone who we meet due to shared proximity, social class, ethnicity, shared religion or level of education
• Similarities in Attitudes

  • Second level of filter
  • We are most likely to partner with someone who shares the same opinion and values as us, want to spend more time with them to enjoy common interests
  • We are unlikely to find someone with different attitudes attractive due to constant disagreement
• Complementarity

  • Third level of filter
  • Most likely to want to partner that best fulfils our needs
  • We look for someone who compliments us the most by offering traits we may not have
• Filter Theory Evaluation:

  (P) supporting research evidence

  (E) Clark (1950)

  (E) 50% of people in Columbus married someone who at one point lived within walking distance, Taylor (2010) found 85% of Americans married in 2008 did so to someone of the same ethnicity

  (L) showing how similarity in social demography may play a role in who we form our long term relationships with
• Filter Theory Evaluation:

  (P) lack of replication of original findings, low external validity

  (E) findings of the study cannot be generalised to other groups

  (E) Levinger notes the predictions of Filter Theory have not been found in many replications of Kerchoff & Davis' original study

  (L) suggesting the theory may not be applicable to other heterosexual couples, let alone homosexual or non-western couples
• Filter Theory Evaluation:

  (P) theory of the similarities in attitudes may be wrong

  (E) it is impossible to establish a casual relationship of cause and effect

  (E) Anderson found that co-habiting partners become more similar over time (emotional convergence), suggesting similarity at the start of the relationship is not as important

  (L) similarity in attitudes develops the longer a couple is together, reducing the importance of complementarity