theories of romantic relationships

• what are the assumptions of equity theory?

  • satisfaction maintains a relationship
  • satisfaction is caused by fairness
  • fairness refers to equal profit
  • equal profit is caused by the same rewards and costs
• what are the assumptions of social exchange theory?

  • individuals want to maximise their profit
  • partners achieve this by maximising their rewards and minimising their costs
• what is meant by comparison level in social exchange theory?

  the amount of reward you believe you deserve to get from the current relationship
• what is meant by comparison level with alternatives?

  a person's perception of whether other potential relationships or being single would be more rewarding than being their current relationship
• in social exchange theory, what influences our comparison level?

  • social norms
  • previous relationships
  • self esteem
• in social exchange theory, what influences our comparison level with alternatives?

  the state of our current relationship
• in social exchange theory, what is Thibaut and Kelley four stage model?

  1. sampling - partners explore different rewards and costs
  2. bargaining - partners exchange rewards and costs to find the most profitable situation
  3. commitment - relationship is stable
  4. institutionalisation - rewards and costs are firmly established
• what are the assumptions of Ducks phase model?

  • a linear model with 4 distinct phases (intra psychic phase, diyadic phase, social phase and grave dressing phase)
  • the ending of a relationship is not a one-off event but a process that takes time
  • each phase has threshold
• what is phase one of Ducks phase model?

  • intra psychic phase
  • one partner privately perceives dissatisfaction with the relationship
  • but this is not disclosed to others or the partner
• what is phase two of Ducks phase model?

  • diyadic phase
  • both partners are aware of the problem
  • there is discussion and confrontation
• what is phase three of Ducks phrase model?

  • social phase
  • partners disclose their problems to others
  • friends and family become aware of the breakdown of the relationship
  • there is a negotation about practicalities
• what is phase four of Ducks phase model?

  • grave dressing phase
  • each partner comes to terms with the breakdown
  • each partner rationalises it by constructing a narrative of events
• what are the assumptions of rusbults investment model?

  • extended social exchange theory by proposing an investment model
  • commitment is the most influential factor in maintaining relationships and this is influenced by satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and most importantly investment
  • investment - the extent and importance of the resources associated with the relationship (anything we would lose if it were to end)
• what are the relationship maintenance mechanisms (rusbults investment model)

  • accommodation - not engaging in tit for tat retaliation
  • willingness to sacrifice - putting your partners interests before your own
  • forgiveness - forgiving your partner for any mistakes
  • positive illusions - thinking and talking about your partner in an unrealistic positive way
  • ridiculing alternatives - thinking and talking negatively about other relationships and alternatives
• What are the 2 investment types (rusbults investment model)

  • Extrinsic investment - new resources put into a relationship that can be shared e.g cars, house, shared memories
  • Intrinsic investment - resources we put directly into a relationship e.g money, possessions, energy, emotions, self- disclosure
• Give a weakness of ducks phase model

  • Missing fifth phase
  • Rollie and duck added a fifth phase called the resurrection phase
  • This phase involves partners applying what they learned from the recent breakdown to future relationships
  • Therefore the model is incomplete
• Give a weakness of ducks phase model

  • Lack of explanatory power
  • Ducks phase model is descriptive rather than explanatory, it only tells us the cause of each phase
  • In contrast, felmee's fatal attraction hypothesis explains why
  • Fatal attraction - when specific qualities that drew you to another person is the same quality that causes you to break up
  • Therefore, the fatal attraction hypothesis is a more useful explanation of a relationship breakdown
• Give a weakness of ducks phase model

  • Culture bias
  • Ducks phase model is based on relationship breakdown in individualistic cultures, where relationships usually end voluntarily
  • Relationships in collectivist cultures are often less easy to end due to the shame associated with it
  • The whole concept of romantic relationships differs between cultures
  • Therefore, ducks phase model can't be applied to all cultures, so it's not a universal explanation of relationships breakdown
• give a strength of rusbults investment model

  • research support
  • le and agnew (2003) found that in 52 studies with 11,000 participants, satisfaction, comparison with alternatives and investment size all predicted relationship commitment
  • where commitment was the greatest, relationships were longer lasting
  • this was true across different cultures and in LGBTQIA+ as well as heterosexual relationships
  • therefore, this research strongly supports the theory
• give a strength of rusbults investment model

  • explains abusive relationships
  • if a partner feels that the investment they made into the relationship will be lost if they leave e.g children and financial security
  • they are more likely to stay in a relationship even when the costs are high e.g physical abuse and the rewards are few
  • therefore, this shows that this theory can be applied to a wide range of relationships experiences that the social exchange theory and equity theory fail to explain
• give a weakness of rusbults investment model

  • oversimplifies investment
  • because in the early stages of a relationship, little investment is made by either partner, but this doesn't mean the relationship doesn't last
  • so investment may need to be extended to include factors such as future plans
  • therefore, this means that the explanation may be incomplete
• give a weakness of rusbults investment model

  • alternative explanation
  • equity theory and social exchange theory
  • therefore, it is not the sole explanation
• give a strength of social exchange theory

  • research support
  • kurdek (1995)
  • asked gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples to complete questionnaires measuring relationship commitment and social exchange theory variables
  • he found that those partners who were most satisfied also perceived the most rewards and fewest costs
  • they also viewed alternatives as relatively unattractive
  • therefore, these findings match predictions from social exchange theory that some people appear to base their evaluation of romantic relationships on rewards and costs
• give a strength of social exchange theory

  • accounts for individual differences
  • social exchange theory states that rewards and costs are subjective and mean different things to different people
  • what might be heavily rewarding to one person may be less rewarding to another or not rewarding at all
• give a strength of social exchange theory

  • real world application
  • integrated behavioural couples therapy
  • partners are encouraged to increase the amount of positive exchanges in a day and to reduce the amount of negative ones
  • therefore, this increases the couples quality of life
• give a weakness of social exchange theory

  • reductionist
  • tries to reduce the complex phenomena of romantic relationships down to rewards and costs
  • so it cannot explain relationships where profit is not taken into account
  • e.g it cannot explain why people stay in abusive relationships, despite having low rewards and high costs
  • therefore, a holistic approach may be more useful
• give a weakness of social exchange theory

  • alternative explanation
  • equity theory
  • some may argue equity is the most important in a relationship
  • equity theory states that satisfaction maintains relationships and satisfaction is determined by fairness
  • fairness refers to equal profit which is due to same rewards and costs
• give a strength of equity theory

  • research support
  • utne et al. found that couples who considered their relationship equitable were also more satisfied than those who reported themselves as underbenefitting or overbenefitting
  • therefore, this research increases the validity of equity theory
• give a weakness of equity theory

  • gender differences
  • research has found that there are differences between the genders and how they experience equity
  • women tend to be more disturbed when underbenefitting from relationships and feel more guilt from overbenefitting
  • women are more focused on relationships and so are more sensitives to injustices
  • therefore, these results highlight clear gender differences between males and females
• give a weakness of equity theory

  • culture bias
  • couples from individualistic cultures considered their relationship to be most satisfying when there is equity
  • couples from a collectivist culture were most satisfied when they were overbenefitting, this true of both men and women and so cannot be explained by gender differences
  • this contradicts the theory's claim that equity is a universal need in relationships and highlights a culture bias
  • therefore, the theory is limited because it cannot account for the development of romantic relationships in all cultures
• give a weakness of equity theory

  • individual differences
  • some researchers have suggested that not all partners are concerned with achieving equity
  • benevolent individuals are well meaning and kindly
  • entitled individuals feel that they deserve special treatment
  • benevolent individuals are happy to underbenefit and entitleds are happy to underbenefit
  • therefore, equity theory cannot explain all individual experiences of relationships, limiting its explanatory power