Filter Theory

• •Alan Kerckhoff and Keith Davis devised a filter theory to explain how such romantic relationships form and develop.
• •In terms of partner choice, we all have a field of availables, the entire set of potential romantic partners, all the people we could realistically form a relationship with.•
• •But, not everyone who is available to us is desirable. According to Kerckhoff and Davis, there are three main factors that act as filters to narrow down our range of partner choice to a field of desirables. Each of these factors assumes greater or lesser importance at different stages of a relationship.
• Social Demography


  •Social demography refers to a wide range of factors all of which influence the chances of potential partners meeting each other in the first place.–Geographical location (or proximity)–social class–level of education–ethnic group–Religion
• Social Demography

  •You are much more likely to meet people who are physically close and share several demographic characteristics. Although we might frequently encounter people who live further away, our most meaningful and memorable interactions are with people who are nearby.
• •The key benefit of proximity is accessibility. It doesn't require much effort to meet people who live in the same area, go to the same school or university, and so on.
• •Effectively, anyone who is too 'different' (too far away, too middle class) is discounted as a potential partner. You will probably have a fair bit in common with someone who shares, for example, your ethnicity, religious beliefs, and educational level and most of us find such shared similarities attractive.
• Similarity In Attitudes

  •Kerckhoff and Davis (1962) found that similarity of attitudes was important to the development of romantic relationships, but only for the couples who had been together less than 18 months.•There is a need for partners in the earlier stages of a relationship to agree over basic values. This encourages greater and deeper communication, and promotes self-disclosure. There is considerable evidence that most of us find this similarity attractive, at least to begin with.
• Complementary


  •The third filter concerns the ability of romantic partners to meet each other's needs. Two partners complement each other when they have traits that the other lacks.
• Complementiarity

  •Kerckhoff and Davis found that the need for complementarity was more important for the long-term couples.•In other words, at a later stage of a relationship, opposites attract. Complementarity is attractive because it gives two romantic partners the feeling that together they form a whole, which adds depth to a relationship and makes it more likely to flourish.