Intimate Relationships Chapter 13 Study Guide

Identify the three key aspects of Levinger's model of divorce highlighting the role that real and perceived barriers might have on divorce.

1) Attraction (enhanced by rewards a relationship offers and diminished by costs); 2) Alternatives (other partners, being single, or occupational success); 3) Barriers (legal and social pressures to remain married, religious and moral constraints, and financial costs). Worry that their children would suffer, the threat of losing their children, religious norms, dependence on their spouses, and the fear of financial ruin were all perceived to be influential barriers. Once people wanted out, there was no stopping them.

Name the three possible explanations for the disquieting results on marital satisfaction and divorce reported in the PAIR Project. Identify the two explanations that best fit the data.

1) Enduring dynamics: Spouses who are destined to be discontent begin their marriages being less in love and more at odds (best predictor); 2) Emergent distress model suggests that the problematic bx that ultimately destroys a couple begins after they marry; 3) Disillusionment model suggests that couples typically begin their marriages with rosy views of their relationship that are unrealistically positive (best predictor).

Describe the script involved in ending close relationships noting commonalities across different types of relationships.

1) One partner begins to lose interest. 2) The disinterested partner begins noticing others. 3) The disinterested partner withdraws. 4) The partners try to work things out. 5) The partners spend less time together. 6) Lack of interest resurfaces. 7) Someone considers breaking up. 8) They communicate their feelings. 9) Partners try again. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) Repeat 2 through 5. 15) They emotionally detach. 16) They break up and the relationship dissolves.

Explain how the results of the EYM Project differ from those reported by the PAIR Project. Note any special methodological issues researchers face when studying divorce.

46% of the couples had already divorced, but the couples' race seemed to make a big difference; Just over a third of the white couples had divorced, but more than half of the black couples had divorced. On average, the black couples had cohabitated for a longer period and were more likely to have had children before getting married. They also had lower incomes and were likely to come from broken homes.

Depict the Karney and Bradbury's model of marriage instability with special attention to the interplay between the enduring vulnerabilities people bring to relationships and the stresses they are likely to experience over the course of a relationship.

Enduring vulnerabilities: might include adverse experiences in one's family of origin, poor education, maladaptive personality traits, bad social skills, or dysfunctional attitudes toward marriage. Stressful events: some stressors (such as a period of unemployment or a major illness) befall some marriages and not others, whereas other stressors (such as pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting) are commonplace. Failure to cope successfully can make the stresses worse.

Compare the contemporary U.S. marital divorce rate with the rate in earlier decades, contemporary divorce rates in other countries, and dissolution rates for other types of relationships.

In the U.S., there are currently half as many divorces as marriages each year, and the chance of separation still hovers around 50%. Only about 2/3s of married couples will stay together for 10 years. Only half of the adult U.S. population is presently married (an all-time low). People over 50 are less likely to divorce than younger adults, but their rate has doubled over the last 25 years. The divorce rate is noticeably higher than in nearly all Europe, Canada, or Japan.

Characterize breakups in terms of personal adjustment, social networks, performing tasks of daily living, finances, and relationships between former partners.

Personal adjustment: outcomes vary; it takes years to adjust to the end of marriage, but most people gradually bounce back. However, others end up defeated, suffering distress and difficulty. Social Networks: not everyone who is close to a divorced person will offer desirable support. Economic Resources: women's finances usually deteriorate when the leave their marriage and men's income drops too. Relationships Between Former Partners: parents usually have continued contact, and antagonism, ambivalence, or regrets may shape their interactions.

Discuss how we underestimate the broader environmental and cultural influences that may undermine or promote our intimate relationships.

Personal contexts: the social networks of family and friends and the physical neighborhoods we inhabit. Women who work with a wide variety of male colleagues are more prone to divorce. Relational context: intimate environment couples create through their own perceptions of and interactions with each other. No-fault divorce laws and discrimination that constrains economic opportunity are examples of how cultural context may either support or undermine marital success.

Explain how the increased number of women in the work force might relate to increased divorce rates during this century.

Spouses report more conflict between work and family then they used to, and the more hours a wife works during the week, the lower the quality of her marriage. The amount of time spent together also declines. Both spouses are affected by their problems at work, so decreases in job satisfaction are associated with increases in marital discord. Also, it increases spouses' access to alternatives. Divorces are higher when women are financially independent of men.

Identify how the manner in which a long term relationships are dissolved affects the mental and physical health of the couple.

There is an impressive amount of churning in romantic relationships that occurs after breaking up then getting back together. If they completely break up, ex-lovers were angry and sad, and their feelings of courage and strength were eroding. They knew that time would heal their wounds, but they overestimated the initial pain they would feel when the breakup occurred. It is harder to be rejected than to do the rejecting.

Discuss how unrealistic expectations placed on the marriage relationship might be associated with the change in divorce rate.

We hold different, more demanding expectations for marriage than people used to. Our great-grandparents generally believed that you had to get married if you wanted to live with your partner, wanted kids, wanted to pay bills, and live well. People may simply be expecting too much of marriage. The % of U.S. spouses who report that their marriages are "very happy" is lower now than it was 25 years ago.

Understand the potential impact of cultural changes on divorce rates (e.g., individualism and mobility, sex ratios, divorce laws, cohabitation).

Western culture is becoming more individualistic, with people being less connected to the others around them than they used to be (and we rely on our spouses more). People who move from place to place really are more willing to cut ties with people. No-fault divorce laws make a divorce easier to obtain. Most couples also cohabit before they marry these days and these people are at higher risk for divorce. Sex ratios: divorce rates are higher when women outnumber men.