Relationships AQA A Level Psychology

• Idiographic approach


  Qualitative approach that studies individuals as unique entities, This approach attempts to study the nature of an individual
• Idiographic approach


  • People are studied as unique entities - subjective experiences, motivation and values are at the core of this approach
  • Mainly focused on research that produces qualitative data - using case studies, unstructured interviews and other qualitative self-report methods (diaries)
  • Main aim - to describe the richness of human experience
• Humanistic psychology


  Takes a phenomenological approach to studying human behaviour, The aim is to document human conscious experience of the self - case studies, interviews, diaries, Humanistic psychologists aim to investigate unique experience and are less concerned with producing general laws
• The idiographic approach


  Provides a complete and global account of the individual, Can be used to complement nomothetic approaches to help create general laws of human behaviour
• Nomothetic approach


  Aims to produce general laws about human behaviour, Allows human behaviour to be compared, classified and measured, Behaviours can also be better predicted, Mainly focused on quantitative, scientific methods - lab experiments, Research will involve the study of large amounts of people to establish common and comparable behaviours
• Nomothetic approach


  • Tends to be more reductionist and deterministic
  • Hypotheses are formulated and tested under controlled conditions
  • Most of the behaviourist, cognitive and biological approaches are nomothetic - e.g. Skinner used rats, pigeons and cats to study and develop laws of learning
  • In all nomothetic approaches hypotheses are being tested, statistically analysed and general laws of behaviours are being developed
• The nomothetic approach


  Is argued to have lost the "whole person" within psychology, Knowing that there is a 1% lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia tells us little about what life is like for someone suffering from the disorder, In lab experiments participants are treated as a score, not as a whole individual so subjective experience is ignored
• Self-disclosure


  Revealing personal information - as the relationship develops more is revealed
• People are careful at the start with what they reveal to their partner
• The more we learn = the more we like them
• Social penetration theory


  To develop attraction it is vital that they both begin to exchange personal information, due to self-disclosure being an initial display of trust. As more information is passed between this budding couple, they penetrate deeper into each other's personal life, which is a vital basic feature of romantic relationships.
• Reciprocity


  The balance of intimate self-disclosure between individuals to establish trust
• Limitation


  Breakdown theory - Duck's theory that self-disclosure can lead to relationship breakdown. Correlational research is mostly used - third intervening variable - money looks personality etc. Ignores biological drives such as sexual selection
• In heterosexual dating couples there was a strong correlation between measures of satisfaction and self-disclosure. Those couples that used self-disclosure were more satisfied and committed in their relationship.
• High levels of disclosure and perception of self-disclosure in a partner was linked to high levels of intimacy in married couples. Also, less intimate couples disclosed less.
• Filter Theory


  We have a field of availables when selecting a partner - all the potentials when realistically forming a relationship
• Not everyone available is desirable
• 3 main factors that act as filters to narrow down our range of partner choice in the field of availables

  • Social demographic
  • Similarity of Attitudes
  • Complimentary
• First filter: Social demographic


  • Geographical location, social class, education, ethnic group, religion
  • You are more likely to meet someone who is physically close and shares the same geographical characteristics
  • Potential partners are constrained by social circumstances
  • Outcome - homogamy
• Homogamy


  Developing a relationship with someone who is socially or culturally similar
• Second filter: Similarity of Attitudes


  • Importance of partners agreeing over basic values in the early stages of a relationship (under 18 months)
  • Promotes self disclosure
  • Attraction result of similarity in attitudes
• Third filter: Complimentary


  • Ability of partners to meet each other's needs
  • Two partners complement each other when they have traits that the other lacks
  • E.g. a partner may make the other laugh, when the other partner enjoys being made to laugh
  • E.g. one partner may be dominant and the other may enjoy being nurtured
  • This is important for long term relationships
• Being complimentary is more important for married couples. Personality, interests and attitudes being similar is typical between partners in the earliest stages of the relationship
• Romantic partners align their attitudes with each other over time

  Attitude Alignment Effect
• Cohabiting partners became more similar in their attitudes and emotions over time, not in the early stages of the relationship as suggested by filter theory
• Economic theory


  Trading one item for another
• Rewards


  • Companionship
  • Being cared for
  • Sex
  • Support
• Costs


  • Time wasted
  • Effort
  • Financial investment
  • Missed opportunities
• Social Exchange Theory


  Profit and loss in social behaviors
• AIM of Social Exchange Theory

  Maximizing rewards and minimizing costs in a relationship
• Maintaining a relationship


  Depends on the profitability of the outcome between rewards and costs
• SET main assumptions


  • Social behaviors as series of exchanges
  • Aim to maximize rewards and minimize costs
  • Relationship maintenance depends on profitability
• Comparison level


  Standard against which all relationships are judged
• Potential profit


  Exceeding comparison level makes a partner worthwhile and attractive, less than comparison level makes a partner dissatisfied and unattractive
• Four-stage model


  Development of long-term relationship based on comparison
• Sampling


  Testing several relationships before settling in the 'best' one
• Bargaining


  Exploring rewards and costs within a relationship, maximizing rewards and lowering costs
• Commitment


  Settling into a relationship, agreed rewards and costs, predictable routine
• Institutionalization


  Establishment of all interactions, settling down in a relationship
• As a relationship progresses, rewards and costs increase, costs become a reason to stay