Psychology- Breakown of Relationships
Outline and evaluate two explanations relating to the breakdown of relationships.
On model that relates to the breakdown of relationships is Lee’s model on the dissolution of relationships. He came up with an alternative explanation of relationship breakdown based in his survey of 112 romantic break-ups. He discovered evidence for 5 distinct stages: Dissatisfaction, Exposure of the problem, Negotiating in order to come to an agreement, Resolution is where there is some attempt to resolve the problem and Termination is where the relationship comes to an end. What Lee found was that the most intense or exhausting part of this process was the Exposure stage and the Negotiating stage. He also found that not all couples go through very stage. Those that jumped straight from the dissatisfaction stage to termination were reported as feeling less intimate with their partner despite whether the relationship was going well or not. However, those who experienced all 5 stages, which occurred over a long period of time, were reported as being more attracted to their partner.
Another explanation came from Duck. He proposed another model with 4 stages. The first stage is the Intrapsychic Phase in which a person simply thinks about the negative aspects in their partner or relationship however doesn’t discuss them. They may weigh out the costs and benefits of that relationship which could also involve a determination to put things right. The second stage, the Dyadic Phase, is where the person confronts their partner about the problems and actually discusses them. Generally this could involve arguments and inability to take responsibility from both partners. The third stage is the Social Phase, which extends beyond partners talking. Instead they may tell friends/family their problems. Generally in this stage, the partners are deciding on what to do, or if the relationship is over. The last stage is called the Grave-dressing Phase. This stage involves communicating a socially
On model that relates to the breakdown of relationships is Lee’s model on the dissolution of relationships. He came up with an alternative explanation of relationship breakdown based in his survey of 112 romantic break-ups. He discovered evidence for 5 distinct stages: Dissatisfaction, Exposure of the problem, Negotiating in order to come to an agreement, Resolution is where there is some attempt to resolve the problem and Termination is where the relationship comes to an end. What Lee found was that the most intense or exhausting part of this process was the Exposure stage and the Negotiating stage. He also found that not all couples go through very stage. Those that jumped straight from the dissatisfaction stage to termination were reported as feeling less intimate with their partner despite whether the relationship was going well or not. However, those who experienced all 5 stages, which occurred over a long period of time, were reported as being more attracted to their partner.
Another explanation came from Duck. He proposed another model with 4 stages. The first stage is the Intrapsychic Phase in which a person simply thinks about the negative aspects in their partner or relationship however doesn’t discuss them. They may weigh out the costs and benefits of that relationship which could also involve a determination to put things right. The second stage, the Dyadic Phase, is where the person confronts their partner about the problems and actually discusses them. Generally this could involve arguments and inability to take responsibility from both partners. The third stage is the Social Phase, which extends beyond partners talking. Instead they may tell friends/family their problems. Generally in this stage, the partners are deciding on what to do, or if the relationship is over. The last stage is called the Grave-dressing Phase. This stage involves communicating a socially