Change/end

• intro for topic?

  - not all relationships last, sometimes effort is needed to make it work out ways the benefits.

  
  

  Many reasons why it may not work out, is important to recognise this and plan which is helpful for relationship counseling.

  
  

  Duck = 4 phases why relationships break down

  1) Intra-psychic stage - internal thoughts about the relationship.

  2) Dyadic - voices their dissatisfaction.

  3) Social - involve friends/family which gets their opinions.

  4) Grave-dressing - left partner - both minimize their faults in the relationship and blame each other.
• 2 theories?

  1) Fatal attraction hypothesis - Felmlee 1995

  What was a benefit is now a cost

  
  

  2) The 4 horseman of the relationship apocalypse - Gottman and Levenson 2000

  Metaphor for communication styles which can predict the end of a relationship

  1) Criticism - verbal/emotional attacking

  2) Contempt - disrespect, moral superiority.

  3) Defensivism - answering back to criticism (blame partner).

  4) Stonewalling - withdraw communication.
• Study for fatal attraction hypothesis

  Felmlee 1995

  
  

  aim - investigate fatal attracion hypothesis

  
  

  procedure - self-report questionnaire, 301 college students where they had to list good and bad qualities about partner.

  
  

  Findings - 88 instances which were 'fatal attractions' as they first made them attractive but later made them question the relationship.

  
  

  1) Fun to foolish - fun can turn into immaturity and lacking in responsibility.

  
  

  2) Strong to domineering - confidence to forceful and intimidating.

  
  

  3) Spontaneous to unpredicted - spontaneous to lack of focus and unpredictability.

  
  

  conclusion - relationship failure could be linked to fatal attraction.
• critical thinking for fatal attraction hypothesis

  +

  large sample size of 301.

  links to similar attraction theory.

  Only a small percentage have this.

  
  

  -

  Self report = lack validity, demand characteristics.

  Only uni students (YAVIS).

  Reductionist - does not take into account other factors.
• Study for the 4 horseman of relationship apocalypse

  Gottman and Levenson 2000

  
  

  Aim - Investigate love by communication styles.

  
  

  procedure - 79 US couples who conducted a survey on satisfaction. Also video taped and physiologically measured, as well as having 15 mins of conversations.

  
  

  Coded for positive/negative communication styles to predict the likelihood of divorce. Then followed up 6 years later and 14 years later.

  
  

  findings - these scores could predict divorce with 93% accuracy, as the presence of the 4 horseman was a strong indicator of early divorce.

  
  

  conclusion - communication patters play a role in relationship failures.
• Critical thinking for Gottman and Levenson 2000

  +

  Reliable findings - other studies replicated and found same thing.

  triangulation - observation, survey and physiological data.

  useful in real life - lead to successful therapy.

  
  

  -

  Cultural bias - cannot apply to everyone as only used US (Westernised).

  Deterministic.