ATTRACTION AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS

Chapter 9

Desire to establish and maintain social contact with other

Need for Affiliation

Factors that Influence Affiliation Needs Evolution

Biology

Culture

Gender

Loneliness

A feeling of deprivation about existing social relations

Shyness

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percentage

Describe Self

as Shy

United

States

Israel Germany Taiwan J apan

Situational Factors that Trigger Affiliation Needs

The Proximity Effect

Familiarity The mere exposure effect

Anxiety Schachter’s anxiety research

Physical Attractiveness Bias for beauty is

pervasive

What-is-beautiful-is-good stereotype: Tendency to associate physical attractiveness with other desirable qualities.

Physical Attractiveness

Beauty is an objective quality.

Physical Attractiveness

Beauty is a subjective quality.

Situational factors influencing perceptions of beauty

First Encounters

Liking other who are similar Demographics Attitudes

Bryne’s Two Step Model of Attraction

First Encounters

Liking others who are similar Physical attractiveness

The matching hypothesis The complementarity hypothesis

Reciprocity

Mate Selection

Evolutionary Perspective Sociocultural Perspective

Figure 9.6: Evolutionary Mate Preferences: Theory and Practice

Intimate Relationships

Social exchange theory

Intimate Relationships

Equity Theory

Your Benefits = Your Partner’s Benefits

Your Contributions Your Partner’s Contributions

Types of Relationships Exchange vs

Communal

Attachment styles Anxious Avoidant Secure

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

Passionate Love

Romantic love characterized by high arousal, intense attraction and fear of rejection.

Excitation transfer: the process whereby arousal caused by one stimulus is added to the arousal from a second stimulus and the combined arousal is attributed to the second stimulus.

Companionate Love

A secure, trusting, stable partnership.

Is the diminution of passion genetically pre-determined?

Self-disclosure: sharing intimate facts and feeling.

From a Sliver to a Wedge

Theory of Social Penetration

Relationship Issues

The Marriage Trajectory

Lucas, Clark & Diener (2003): 15 year study of over 24,000 individuals living in Germany

Are married people happier than unmarried people?

The Gottman Relationship Institute: http://www.gottman.com/49847/The-Love-Lab.html#sf

John Gottman