PSY C505: FINALS

• Three themes of friendship


  • Affective or emotional: self-disclosure, expressions of intimacy, appreciation, and support; requires trust and commitment
  • Shared or communal nature: mutual interests
  • Sociability and compatibility: source of fun and entertainment
• Friendship quality


  Satisfaction one derives from the relationship
• Stages of friendship development


  • Acquaintanceship
  • Buildup
  • Continuation
  • Deterioration
  • Ending
• Trust in online friendships


  Develops on the basis of reputation, performance, precommitment, and situational factors
• Sternberg's three basic components of love


  • Passion
  • Intimacy
  • Commitment
• Couples are happier when each feels the same types of love to a similar degree
• The longer a relationship lasts


  The lower its intimacy and passion, but the greater its commitment
• Early in romantic relationships


  Characterizes early stages of romance when passion is high, but intimacy and commitment are lower
• Higher divorce rates in couples who marry based primarily on infatuation
• Assortative mating


  Selecting one's partner based on similarity across many dimensions
• Homogamy


  Degree to which people are similar; greater when couples meet through school or a religious setting
• Speed dating


  Date selection and date satisfaction are higher when the date is attractive, outgoing, self-assured, and moderately self-focused
• Online dating is more common in the United States (1 in 5) than other countries (1 in 10-20)
• Physical attractiveness strongly affects partner selection in online and offline contexts
• Emerging hookup culture


  • Both men and women are interested in having hookup sex
  • Both men and women prefer a more romantic relationship
  • Three-fourths of both men and women eventually expressed some level of regret at having hookup sex
• Two main dimensions of preferences in various cultures


  • Traditional cultures emphasize chastity and homemaking in women and ambition, industry, and financial prospects in men
  • Western cultures value these qualities to a much lesser extent
• Nearly all cultures place importance on love and attraction
• Love


  A distinct neurological emotion system, with different stages of love involving different neurochemicals
• Erikson: mature love is impossible without a capacity for intimacy
• The kinds of relationships you saw and experienced as a child affect how you define and act in relationships you develop as an adult
• Abusive relationship


  When one partner becomes violent or aggressive
• Battered woman syndrome


  When a woman believes she cannot leave an abusive situation; may go so far as to kill her abuser
• Continuum of aggressive behavior


  • Verbal aggression
  • Physical aggression
  • Severe physical aggression
  • Murder
• Causes of verbal abuse


  • Need to control
  • Misuse of power
  • Jealousy
  • Marital discord
• Causes of physical abuse


  • Acceptance of violence as means of control
  • Physically aggressive models
  • Abuse as a child
  • Aggressive personality type
  • Alcohol abuse
• Causes of severe physical abuse


  • Personality disorders
  • Emotional swings
  • Poor self-esteem
• Culture


  An important contextual factor in relationship violence
• Violence against women worldwide reflects cultural traditions
• International data indicate rates of abuse higher in cultures that emphasize female purity, male status, and family honor
• Cultures that emphasize honor and portray females as passive, nurturing supporters of men's activities and that emphasize loyalty and sacrifice for the family may contribute to tolerating abuse
• 70% of women and 80% of men are single between the ages of 20 and 24
• Twice as many African Americans as European Americans are single throughout adulthood
• Men tend to remain single longer than women, but men are likelier to marry
• Cultures differ in their expectations of marrying and marriage
• Millennials are remaining single longer and are more likely to forgo marriage and cohabitation
• Cohabitation


  When two people in a committed, intimate, sexual relationship live together but are not married
• In the United States, young adults usually cohabit as a step toward marriage
• Couples cohabitate part-time as a step toward marriage, and to replace marriage
• There are cross-cultural differences in cohabitation rates, with higher rates in Scandinavian countries
• Couples who cohabitate first have a higher divorce rate, and tend to be less happy