love

• Factors related to attraction & liking

  humans need to affiliate

  • Evolution & attraction - cues for reproductive fitness
  • search for ideals (Fletcher et al. 2004) (e.g warmth-trustworthiness, vitality-attractiveness, status-resources)
  • Similarity of attitudes
  • Proximity
  • Familiarity - mere exposure effect
• Attraction

  • necessary for friendships to form
  • precursor to an intimate relationship.
• how proximity links to attraction and liking

  • living close by
  • important role in early stages of forming friendships.
  • Festinger, Schachter & Back (1950) – more likely to choose as friends those living in same building, same floor.
• how does self-disclosure help develop and maintain relationships?

  • share intimate information with another
  • social penetration theory (Altman & Taylor, 1973)
• what is love?

  • not liking (Rubin, 1973)
  • passionate / romantic vs companionate love
• what is love?

  • not liking (Rubin, 1973)
  • passionate / romantic vs companionate love
• Passionate love

  • Intense emotional state.
  • Increased self-esteem + positivity
• Companionate love

  • Less intense than passionate love
  • Feelings of friendly affection & deep attachment
• Hatfield & Walster (1981) 3-factor theory of love

  love is the product of three interacting variable

  • Cultural concept of love
  • Appropriate person to love
  • Emotional arousal, self-labelled ‘love’, felt when interacting / thinking about appropriate person
• Dutton & Aron (1974): how does ppts on fear-arousing suspension bridge lead greater tendency to contact researcher. (love) excitation transfer theory


  • male participants crossed either wobbly suspension bridge high over a canyon (fear-arousing suspension bridge) or lower solid bridge above small rivulet (non-fear-arousing bridge)
  • attractive female researcher approached, administered questionnaire & gave name and phone number
• Triangular theory of love (Sternberg, 1986)

  • Intimacy – warmth, closeness, connection, and sharing
  • Passion – drive that leads to romance, physical attraction
  • Commitment – to maintain relationship

  their strengths relative to each other

  Amount’ of love experienced depends on absolute strength of the components

  ‘Type’ of love experienced depends on
• according to Sternberg’s (1986) triangular theory of love what does liking have?

  intimacy
• Sternberg’s (1986) triangular theory of love how does it range from romatic to consummate love?

  companionate love has commitment but romantic love has passsion
• Equity theory

  • Ratio inputs to outcomes (equity)
  • Exchange should be fair

  X’s outcomes /     equals Y’s outcomes/

     X’s inputs             Y’s inputs

    
• Social exchange theory

  
  

  relationships depends on rewards vs costs

  • Satisfaction:
  • Minimax strategy
  • Rewards exceed cost?
  • Comparison levels for alternative relationships (could be worse than the current relationship)