CEP 260 1nd EditionExam # 3 Study Guide Lecture: 1-8 Lecture 3 (February 4) – Friendships Perspectives on Close Relationships• The Ingredients of close relationships– Close relationships “are those that are important, interdependent, and long lasting”.– They come in many forms:• Family relationships.• Friendships.• Work relationships.• Romantic relationships.• Marriage.• Close relationships arouse intense feelings: – Positive (passion, concern, caring) – Negative (rage, jealousy, despair)– This is referred to as the paradox of close relationshipsAttraction and Development• Initial encounters: three factors underlie initial attraction between strangers– Proximity – we are more likely to become involved with people we are geographically, or spatially, close to.– Familiarity – the mere exposure effect states that positive feelings toward a person are increased the more often we see them.– Physical attractiveness– This factor plays a key role in face-to-face romantic relationships as well as friendships.– However, cross-cultural research suggests it is not the most important factor, for both males and females• What makes someone attractive?– Facial features • For women: “baby-faced” features, (large eyes, small nose), combined with “mature” features (prominent cheekbones).• For men: a strong jaw and broad forehead.– Physique • For women: average weight, an “hourglass” figure, and medium-sized breasts. • For men: broad shoulders and a slim waist.– Expressive traits (large smile, high set eyebrows) are seen as attractive because they suggest friendliness.– Grooming qualities are also desirable, including cosmetic enhancements – Matching up on looks• The matching hypothesis – “proposes that people of similar levels of physical attractiveness gravitate toward each other.”– Attractiveness and resource exchange• In contrast, the resource exchange is an evolution-based theory proposing that “in heterosexual dating, males ‘trade’ occupational status for physical attractiveness in females” (ex: old rich man marries a young beautiful woman)• David Buss (1988) believes mating patterns depend on what each sex has to invest in terms of survival.– For men, reproductive opportunities are the most important, so they show more interestin sexual activity and physical attractiveness.– Parental investment theory states women choose mates that will supply resources needed to support offspring for many years.– This is because men cannot produce their own offspring, so they want to seminate as much as possible. Women have to invest time and make sure their offspring is brought up in a stable and happy environment. • Getting acquainted– These factors affect viability of relationships:1. Reciprocal liking – “refers to liking those who show that they like you”.2. Similarity – we are drawn to those with similar qualities.– This is true in friendships and romantic relationships, regardless of sexual orientation.– Similar attitudes play a key role.• Relationship satisfaction and commitment– What determines whether you will stay in the relationship or get out?• Interdependence or social exchange theory states that the decision is based on a“cost-benefit” analysis of the relationship’s outcome. If the rewards outweigh the costs, we stay. • Relationship satisfaction is gauged by our comparison level – or “personal standard of what constitutes an acceptable balance of rewards and costs”.– It is based on outcomes experienced in previous relationships and on outcomes seen in other people’s relationships.• Relationship commitment is determined by:– The comparison level for alternatives, or “one’s estimation of the available outcomes from alternative relationships”.– We tend to stay in unsatisfying relationships until a better one comes along.– The investments or “things that people contribute to a relationship that they can’t get back if the relationship ends”.– Thus, putting investments into a relationship strengthens our commitment to it.Romantic Love• Theories of love: Sternberg’s triangular theory of love states that all loving relationships are comprised of some combination of three components:• Intimacy – warmth, closeness, and sharing. • Passion – intense feelings (both positive and negative), including sexual desire.• Commitment – “the decision and intent to maintain a relationship in spite of the difficulties and costs that may arise”.– Eight types of relationships can result from the presence, or absence, of each of the three components.– The ultimate type of love is consummate love, in which each of the three components is present • Romantic love as attachment– Hazen and Shaver (1987) draw a connection between attachment patterns early in life and three adult attachment types: 1. Secure adults (55% of participants).2. Avoidant adults (25% of participants).3. Anxious-ambivalent adults (20% of participants).• Bartholomew and Horowitz’s (1991) model of adult attachment styles is based on two factors:– Attachment anxiety, or “how much a person worries that a partner will not be available when needed”, and– Attachment avoidant – “the degree to which a person distrusts a partner’s good will and their tendencies to maintain emotional and behavioral distance from a partner”.• Correlates of attachment styles– Securely attached people have more committed, satisfying, interdependent, and well-adjusted relationships.– Securely attached people seek and provide support when under stress.– Securely attached people have better mental health.• Stability of attachment styles– Longitudinal studies show moderate stability over the first 19 years of life and later in adulthood.– However, attachment styles can be altered by life events (both in a positive and negative direction)• The course of romantic of love– Sternberg’s theory predicts that the strength of each of the three components of love varies across time.• Passion peaks early in a relationship and then decreases in intensity.• However, both intimacy and commitment increase as time progresses.Lecture 4 (February 11) – Marriage Challenges to the Traditional Model of Marriage• Marriage – the legally and socially sanctioned union of sexually intimate adults• Traditionally, it has also included– Economic interdependence.–