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How do relationships end? 2006 Rollie & Duck Six stage model of dissolution

Should I stay or should I go? Starter activity - in pairs list the reasons why you think relationships breakdown Using what you already know about Formation, Maintenance and other areas of the course what do you think are the top ten reasons for relationship breakdown?

1.Marriages in which partners were very young 2.Early parenthood 3.Being in a lower socioeconomic group 4.Poor education 5.Partners are of different race / religion 6.A greater number of sexual partners before marriage. 7.Jealousy 8.People have a change of attitudes / beliefs 9.Relationship becomes routine and boring – lack of stimulation 10.Lack of sexual satisfaction 11.Lack of social skills – poor at conversation, may seem uninterested. 12.Extra marital affairs – may be a direct reaction to the other reasons discussed. Boekhout 1999

Duck Duck came up with a 5 stage model of relationship dissolution (1984) Later, Rollie and Duck (2006) added to this and created a 6 stage model Duck suggested the 3 main reasons why relationships break down 1.Lack of Social Skills 2.Boredom – lack of stimulation 3.Difficult to maintain the relationship (distance)

What would social exchange theory suggest as an explanation for relationship breakdown? It would predict that dissolution is the result of an imbalance in rewards and costs. It could also be the existence of a better alternative

Breakdown Interpsychic Phase Dydactic Phase Social Processes Grave Dressing Resurrection The next stage is reached once the individual reaches a threshold or point of decision

Create a mind map on Duck & Rollie’s 6 stages Rollie & Duck (2006)

 You have 5 minutes to write a short story based on Rollie & Duck’s model of dissolution.  It can be based on personal experience or a fictional story. However I want to see clear evidence of all stages of the model!

Relationships do break down due to affairs. Boekhout et al. (1999) – suggest affairs happen as a reaction to lack of skills or stimulation in a current relationship.  LDR are more common today and can work. Rohlfing (1995) – 70% of students had experienced one. Holt & Stone (1988) – there was less relationship dissatisfaction as long as couples could reunite regularly. Gender differences: Women = likely to stress unhappiness and incompatibility as reasons, however for men it is sexual withholding (Brehm & Kassin, 1966 ). Which of these is a synoptic IDA point?

 Tashiro and Frazier (2003) surveyed undergraduates who had recently broken up with a romantic partner. They typically reported that they had not only experienced emotional distress, but also personal growth. These students reported that breaking up with their partner had given them new insights into themselves and a clearer idea about future partners. Through grave-dressing and resurrection processes they were able to put the original relationship to rest and get on with their lives.  Rephrase not as an outline of the study but as an AO2 point. PEEL

 The theory has face validity as it is an account of relationship breakdown that we can relate to our own and/or others’ experiences.  The view of dissolution as a process, rather than an event, is widely accepted. However, the theory applies mainly to romantic relationships, because these are exclusive in a way that friendships generally are not.  Stresses the importance of communication in relationship breakdown.

 As with all stage theories, Rollie and Duck’s six phases do not apply in every case of relationship breakdown; nor do they always occur in the order described.  The model does not take into account why dissatisfaction occurred in the first place ; its starting point is where dissatisfaction has already set in. Therefore, it fails to provide a complete picture of dissolution.

Evaluation A strength of these models is they have useful application - they both indicate the possibility for repair strategies -this could be useful if marriage guidance is sought. A weakness is that stage models are merely descriptive, they are limited as they do not explain WHY breakdown occurs.

His findings were from longitudinal studies, he established there were factors that threatened a relationship both dispositional (personal) and Situational (environmental) and could be classified as predisposing and precipitating What do these two words mean? What is the difference between them? What do these two words mean? What is the difference between them?

PredisposingPrecipitating Define: A tendency to suffer from a particular condition, hold a particular attitude, or act in a particular way. Define: That which causes an event or situation to happen. Contextualised: Therefore beliefs or attitudes that the person holds which make breakup more likely Contextualised: Situational circumstances which contribute to the breakup.

Risk Factors Thus Duck suggests breakdown can be explained in terms of risk factors 1. Predisposing personal factors – bad habits, weak social skills, different back grounds, divorced parents etc 2. Precipitating factors – deception, boredom, conflict, better alternative etc Dispositional verses situational factors

Research evidence Rohfling (1998) found reduced proximity, a possible predisposing factor may not lead to breakdown. 70% of students questioned had experienced a long distance relationship. As long as the couple get to reunite regularly satisfaction in the relationship was not affected.

Evaluation Risk factors provide an explanation for relationship breakdown unlike the models of dissolution that just describe them. Risk factors only provide a limited explanation as some relationships are stable despite the presence of such factors Some of the factors are intervening variables, e.g. low levels of education are associated with divorce but are not necessarily the cause.

To sum up Duck says breaking up needs to be seen as a process and that the move from one phase to the next happens when the individual reaches a threshold or decision point. Duck criticised earlier relationship research saying it failed to recognise the complexity of relationships and how much they change over time. Hence he developed more longitudinal research methods. However this area of research is socially sensitive as asking people questions about their relationship could lead them to feelings of dissatisfaction which they may not have considered previously!

You can use your knowledge of…. Social Exchange Theory Equity Theory Similarity Theory Reward/Needs satisfaction Theory To explain WHY relationships can breakdown. TASK: Map out these different explanations = synoptic element =makes the examiner really happy