Duck’s breakdown of romantic relationships

• Pre-existing doom is when the incompatibility and failure are guaranteed from the start of the relationship
• Mechanical failure is when two compatible, well meaning people grow apart and find that they can’t live together any longer
• Sudden death is the discovery of infidelity or the occurrence of a traumatic incident that leads to the immediate ending of a relationship
• Predisposing personal factors is when an individual’s bad habits or emotional instabilities contributes to relationship dissolution
• Precipitating factors is when exterior influences, like love rivals, incompatible working hours and lack of relationship direction, contributes to relationship dissolution
• A lack of motivation, like perceiving inequity, can cause relationship dissolution
• A lack of maintenance, like spending too much time apart, can cause relationship dissolution
• Duck (1982) developed a four phase model of relationship breakdown that shows the processes involved in splitting up
• The intra-psychic phase highlights the dissatisfaction of atleast one member of the couple. The focus is usually on the partner’s behaviour and how they’re failing in the relationship and the pros and cons of being in the relationship is considered and are then evaluated against alternatives. The individual may mull over their thoughts privately and may share them with a trusted friend, but may not say anything to their partner at that point
• The dyadic phase focuses on interpersonal processes between the partners. Individuals confront and communicate with their partners their feelings, their discontentment and the future of the relationship. Discussions may be characterised by anxiety, hostility, probably complaints about the lack of equity and a rethinking of the commitment that kept the partners together
• The social phase is focused on the wider processes involving the couples social network and the break up is made public. Problems are now seen as serious enough to seek the support of friends, who may offer support, some are judgemental and some may take sides or pitch in to try to help repair the relationship
• The grave dressing phase takes place after the couple have officially split up and the traits the couple first found endearing in each other are now viewed in a more negative light. both parties try to get their side of the break up across to people that they want to think well of them. Each partner creates their own version of what went wrong and who is to blame. These versions are face saving and enable the maintenance of a positive reputation and are distributed throughout the social network
• Kassin (1996) found that women are more likely to stress unhappiness and incompatibility as reasons for dissolution, while men blame lack of sex. Women wish to remain friends, while males want a clean break
• According to Moghaddam et al (1993) relationships in individualists cultures are generally voluntary and frequently come to an end. However, in collectivists culture relationships are more likely to be obligatory, less easy to end and involve the wider family. in some cases, relationships may even be arranged with little involvement of the partners