Chapter 10 Flashcards
what is the need to belong?
the fundamental need for a small number of close relationships that offer frequent, positive interactions
according to social psychologists what does meeting our need to belong help?
survival and well being, they depend on our connections to others (in the same way that meeting our needs for air food and water does)
how can people satisfy the need to belong?
by having frequent, emotionally positive interactions with a small number of other people
what are social networks?
the extended circles of people with whom we interact regularly, whether or not we know them well or feel close to them
what does having a large network indicate?
better social integration which predicts positive psychological and physical health outcomes
what role does gender play in social networks?
men and women have the same average social networks but women tend to have more close people in their network than men do
does living with a spouse mentally benefit men or women more?
men
what are african americans social networks likely to experience, compared to white people?
deaths of friends and family members (and at younger ages)
lose their jobs
suffer illness and injury
be in jail
women and men both desire closeness and intimacy with same sex friendships, what do these friendships include for women?
high levels of shared emotions
personal disclosure
talking through problems
social support
what do mens same sex friendships include?
high levels of shared activities and conversations about non personal topics (sports, work)
if women and men both desire friendships that involve intimacy and closeness, why might these sex differences in friendships emerge?
hypothesis 1: male gender role discourages certain forms of same sex closeness because these may raise suspicions about same sex sexuality (early in life boys learn to restrict vulnerable emotions)
or
hypothesis 2: mens and womens same sex friendships do not differ in intimacy
what two factors explain sex differences in male friendship intimacy?
emotional restraint
homophobia
ex. someone whos gay will be less likely to disclose that info with their male peers
why might mens and womens same sex friendships not differ?
women do share more about themselves compared to men but men do more activities together so researchers might incorrectly attribute more intimacy to female friendships because women share more about themselves, but men doing activities with their friends might make them just as intimate
what is the homosexual perspective?
an approach proposing that men achieve friendship intimacy in the context of units that share goals and joint activities and contain opposing emotions
what does the homosexaul perspective say about womens same sex friendships and mens same sex friendships?
that they both allow for intimacy but via different social dynamics (men are in large hierarchically organized groups, women are in groups of a few close friends)
when do cross sex friendships arise?
college is when it starts to become the most common
people desire and appreciate the same things in cross sex friends as they do in same sex friends (kindness, honesty, humor…) but what is one difference that cross sex friends can offer over same sex friends?
romantic preferences of the other sex
do heterosexual individuals feel more or less competition in cross sex friendships compared to same sex?
less
what is one issue that may complicate cross sex friendships?
audience problem
what is the audience problem?
the tendency for observers to assume that platonic friends are romantically involved, especially likely to occur in cross sex friendships
what reduces the audience problem?
if the friendship is strictly platonic (if they are fucking it will increase the audience problem)
friendship is between a straight girl and gay man
why might a gay man and a straight woman be so close?
they value advice about dating from each other more so than anyone else
who is more likely to have cross sex friendships at younger ages, asian cultures or western?
western
what group is more likely to have a friends with benefits?
white, young and less religious people
what are chosen families?
the friend circles of LGBTQ+ individuals that stand in for biological families and consist largely of individuals who understand the unique challenges of being LGBTQ+
who depends more on their chosen families, gay and bisexual men or lesbian and bisexual women?
gay and bisexual men
what are passionate friendships?
friendships characterized by intense longing for proximity, high levels of affection and large amounts of physical touch (cuddling, hand holding)
minority women are most likely to have these friendships, which may turn romantic
maggie and jacqueline
what are mate preferences?
qualities that people claim to desire in a potential sexual or romantic mate
what do most adolescents and young adults desire in a partner?
a partner who loves them, who has favorable traits (intelligent, dependable, emotional stability/ maturity, social) and who are similar to them and want the same things that they want
how do women and men differ in what they value in a partner generally?
physical attractiveness, domestic competence and earning potential
men value: good looks, good cook and housekeeper
women value: good financial prospects and ambition industriousness
(these differences are becoming weaker, ex. in finland women desire a man with housekeeping more than financial responsibility)
what do young black women value in a partner?
physical attractiveness
potential for success
financial stability
high earning potential
what is parental investment theory?
the idea that female members of many species are especially picky when choosing mates because they invest more than males do in each offspring
what does parental investment theory help justify for mate preferences in men and women?
women should display stronger preference for partners who can offer resources and protection
men should display stronger preference for partners who are attractive because physical attractiveness indicates reproductive success and genetic health
do partners physical attractiveness predict romantic interest and liking more strongly among men than women? what about financial prospects being more strong in women than men?
no, men and women both value physical attraction moderately strongly (r=0.40 to 0.43)
no, men and women value financial prospects weakly (r= 0.09 to 0.12)
what is partner homogamy?
universal tendency for people to bond and mate with others who are similar to them on a wide range of variables (personality, attitudes, intelligence, body type, background, education, risk of disease)
what guides peoples choice in mates mainly?
similarity
why do people like to have a homogenous partner?
because they validate your worldviews and reduce interpersonal conflicts
members of same sex couples show less partner homogamy than heterosexual couples, why?
smaller pool of potential partners
dont normally meet their partners in high homogenous places (work) and instead meet their partners at minority gatherings (which would consist of different cultures, races and worldviews)
when do most people in western cultures (gay or straight) start to experience dating and romantic relationships?
adolescence
what are dating scripts?
stereotyped cognitive representations of the sequences of events that take place during dates (these sequences have not changed much over the past several decades)
in adulthood what do heterosexual women expect men to do on the first date?
plan the date
select the venue and activities
pick them up
pay for the date
(if it gets sexual, men should initiate)
what is paternalistic chivalry?
the expectation that men should be both protective and polite toward women in romantic contexts, treating dates like “ladies” and offering to pay for them (have not changed much over the past several decades)
do women and men view paternalistic chivalry positively or negatively?
positive in dating contexts
what is benevolent sexism?
belief that women are more virtuous than men and ought to be cherished and protected