Relationship and Attraction

• Human beings can find themselves romantically attracted to all kinds of people:

  • People of the same or different sex
  • From different cultures
  • From different age range
• When the need to belong is not met over a  long period of time, people tend to suffer profoundly negative consequences.
• Communal.Relationship is a relationship in which the partners share the same goals and values.
• Communal Relationship the individuals feel  a special.responsibility for one another and often expect their relationship to  be long-term.
• Exchange.Relationship is a relationship between two countries in which one country sells goods and services to the other
• Exchange Relationship is trade-based, often short-term, and  the individuals feel no.special.responsibility toward one another.
• Interpersonal.relationships has the virtue  of simplicity: people tend to like and gravitate toward those who provide them with  rewards
• Social.Exchange.Theory, starts with the assumption that people  are motivated to maximize their own feelings of satisfaction
• People prefer interactions or relationships in which the  rewards exceed the costs.
• Comparison.Level, reflects the outcomes people think they deserve, or expect to get, out of a relationship.
• Comparison.Level.for.Alternatives, reflects the  outcomes people think they can get out of alternative relationships
• People who have a high comparison level expect a lot from their relationships.
• Equity.Theory maintains that people are  also motivated to pursue fairness, or equity, in their relationships.
• Attachment.Theory focuses on relationships and bonds between people
• Four types of attachment styles

  • Secure attachment - low anxiety and low avoidance
  • Ambivalent attachment - high anxiety and low avoidance
  • Avoidant attachment - low annxiety and high avoidance
  • Disorganized attachment - high anxiety and high avoidance
• Forming relationships is instinctive, and clearly necessary to our health and well-being.
• Functional.Distance, the influence of an architectural layout to encourage or discourage contact between people.
• Mere.Exposure.Effect is the notion that the more you are exposed to something, the more you tend to like it.
• People tend to like other people who are similar to themselves
• Complementarity is people tend to like other people who are similar to themselves.
• Someone who is dependent can have his or her needs taken care of by a partner who is nurturing.
• Most powerful determinants of interpersonal attraction is physical.attractiveness.
• Halo.Effect is the common belief that people who are appealing to look at have a host of positive qualities beyond their physical appearance.
• Physically attractive people seem to be somewhat happier, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives
• Reprodctive.FItness is the capacity to pass one’s genes to the next generations.
• People are drawn to the average looking persons.
• Bilaterally.Symmetrical individuals in a variety of animal species have been shown to have an advantage  in sexual competition
• Two features that signal health and reproductive fitness

  • Averageness
  • Bilateral.Symmetry
• Face that is “average” in configuration will also be highly symmetrical.
• Males typically must compete more vigorously among themselves (intrasex.competition) for the attention and affection of females (intersex.attraction).
• Sternberg's theory, the concept of love is a triangle that is made up of three components. 

  • Intimacy
  • Passion
  • Commitment
• Intimacy, which involves feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness
• Passion, which involves feelings and desires that lead to physical attraction, romance, and sexual consummation
• Commitment, which involves feelings that lead a person to remain with someone and move toward shared goals
• Friendship is a type of love when intimacy is the only component present.
• Infatuation is a type of love when passion is the only component present and characterized by feelings of lust.
• Empty.Love is a type of love when commiment is the only component present.
• Companionate.Love is a type of love when intimacy and commitment are the component present.
• Fatous.Love is a type of love when passion and commitment are the component present.
• Romantic.Love is a type of love when intimacy and passion are the component present.