BREAKDOWN

BREAKDOWN

1. AO1

   • DUCK
     • Theory of relationship dissolution
     • Three broad categories why relationships break up
       • 1. Pre-existing doom
         • Incompatibility and
           • Failure are almost predestined
       • 2. Mechanical failure
         • Two suitable people of goodwill
           • And good nature
         • Grow apart
           • Find they cant live together
       • 3. Sudden death
         • Discovery of betrayal
           • Or infidelity
           • Leads to immediate termination
             • Of relationship
     • Proposed several other factors contributing to relationship dissolution
       • 1. Predisposing personal factors
         • E.g individuals bad habits
           • Or emotion instabilities
       • 2. Precipitating factors
         • E.g exterior influences love rivals
         • Process features incompatible working hours
       • 3. Lack of skills
         • E.g sexually inexperienced
       • 4. Lack of motivation
         • E.g perceiving inequity
       • 5. Lack of maintenance
         • E.g spending much time apart
     • See's dissolution as personal process
       • One where partners regard
         • How things look to friends/social networks
       • Suggests
         • An account for dissolution comprising several parts
     • Duck's explanation begins
       • Where on partner is sufficiently dissatisfied
         • With relationship
         • Over long enough period
           • To consider ending it
       • Four phases are
         • 1. Intrapsychic
           • One partner privately
             • Perceives dissatisfaction
               • With the relationship
         • 4. Grave dressing
           • Post-relationship view of the break-up
             • Is established
             • Protecting self-esteem
             • Re-building life towards new relationships
         • 3. Social
           • Breakdown made public
             • With wider families becoming involved
           • Negotiation children finances etc
         • 2. Dyadic
           • Dissatisfaction discussed
             • If not resolved
               • Move onto next stage
   • LEE
     • Proposed 5 stage model of relationship dissolution
     • Theory reached by analysing data from relationship break ups
       • 1. Dissatisfaction
         • Individual becomes dissatisfied
           • With relationship
       • 2. Exposure
         • Dissatisfaction is revealed to one's partner
       • 3. Negotiation
         • Discussion occurs over the nature
           • Of dissatisfaction
       • 5. Termination
         • If dissatisfaction not resolved
           • Relationship ends
       • 4. Resolution
         • Attempts made to resolve dissatisfaction
     • Similar to Duck's explanation in being a stage theory
       • And perceiving dissolution as a process occurring over time
         • Rather than just single event

2. RESEARCH

   • DUCK
     • Argyle
       • Found that women identified lack of emotion support
         • As a reason for dissolution
       • While men cited absence of fun
       • Suggesting gender differences
         • That the model doesn't explain
     • Akert
       • Found that the person who investigated break-up
         • Suffers fewer negative consequences
       • Suggesting individual differences in the effects
         • Of dissolution that model doesn't explain
   • LEE
     • Argyle & Henderson
       • Asked participants to consider
         • Whether rule violations were to blame
           • For personal relationship breakdowns
     • Rule violations were found
       • Important factors
       • Most critcal
         • Jealousy
         • Public criticism
         • Disclosing confidences
     • Suggesting explanation
       • Not complete does not account for these factors

3. EVALUATION

   • DUCK
     • Face validity
       • It is an account of relationship breakdown
         • That we can relate to our own/ others experience
     • As with all stage theories
       • All 4 stages don't apply in every case
         • Of relationship breakdown
       • Or always occur in same order
     • Simplistic
       • Doesn't account for relationships
         • Casual affairs
         • Friendships
     • Does not apply to homosexual relationships
       • Which do not involve some of the decisions over children
         • That heterosexual have to consider
     • Does not take into account
       • Why dissatisfaction occured in first place
         • Starting point where dissatisfaction already set in
       • Fails to provide complete picture
   • LEE
     • Stage theory
       • Describe process
       • Doesn;t provide explanations
         • Why process occurs
     • More positive than Duck's
       • Seeing more opportunities
         • For problematic relationships
           • To be saved
     • Strength
       • A lot of information gathered
       • Sample large
     • Research only contained premarital relationships
       • May not relate to other relationships
         • Especially long term involving children

4. IDA

   • Ethnocentric
     • Culturally biased
     • Rooted in Western culture
       • Model may not apply to non-western
     • Many collectivist non western cultures
       • Arranged marriages
         • In general seen as permanent
         • Marital crises of these
           • Concern of whole family
   • Ethical issues
     • When carrying out research in this sensitive area
       • Raises particular issues of vulnerability,privacy
     • Many issues intensely personal nature