Duck’s Phase Model Of Relationship Breakdown Flashcards
When does relationship breakdown or termination occur?
When one or both people feel that the relationship isn’t working and wish it to end
How many phases are there in the breakdown of a relationship according to Duck
4
What are the 4 phases (in order) of Duck’s model
- Intra-psychic processes
- Dyadic processes
- Social processes
- Grave dressing processes
What are intra-psychic processes
This is characterised by the dissatisfied
partner privately thinking about their relationship and brooding about the
problems they have identified. The dissatisfied partner focuses on their
partner’s faults and the fact that they are under-benefitting from the
relationship. They might feel depressed and withdraw from social
interactions with their partner
What occurs during dyadic processes:
The dissatisfied partner privately communicates with
their partner about the fact that they are dissatisfied with the
relationship. Both partners might think carefully about investments they
have in the relationships e.g. house, children, joint possessions etc. There
could be reconciliation if the partner accepts the validity of the
dissatisfied partner’s views and promises to change their behaviour or
makes agreements to sort out issues. Marital therapy might be useful at
this point if the process becomes difficult.
What occurs during social processes
If there is a break up, it is made public to friends and
family which means that the problem is harder to deny or ignore. Advice
and support are given from people outside the relationship and alliances
are made. This can involve criticising former partners e.g. “I never really
liked him anyway” and scape-goating, “It was all her fault.” Younger adults
might experience breakdown very frequently in this period of their life,
as they are striving to meet their ideal partner and are testing the market. Older couples experience breakdown less frequently, and some might be resigned to not finding a new partner in the future if the relationship breaks down.
What occurs during grave dressing processes
As the relationship dies and breaks down,
there is the need to mourn and justify our actions. We need to create an
account of what the relationship was like and why it broke down. Expartners begin their post relationship lives and begin to publicise
accounts of how the relationship broke down, making sure their social
credit remains high. Stories might be told about betrayal, or how they
both struggled to make it work and different versions of the relationship
are given to different people. Partners might reinterpret their point of
view of their ex partners e.g. “they were rebellious” become “they were
irresponsible.”
(+) what theory supports ducks phase model
social exchange theory. This
theory would support Duck’s phase model and would state that if a relationship
has high costs and minimal rewards then the relationship is not worth
continuing, but instead would breakdown.
(-) how does duck’s model ignore gender differences (research evidence to suggest what…)
Kassin (1996) found research evidence to suggest that females emphasise unhappiness, lack of emotional support and
incompatibility as reasons for relationship breakdown, whereas males state lack
of sex and/or fun. Females often wish to stay friends with an ex-partner, but
males would rather have a clean break and not stay friends
(-) why might some argue ducks model is overly simplistic
It reduces relationship breakdown into four simple stages that
must follow a specific order. In the real world it would seem unlikely that
relationship breakdown can be compartmentalised or reduced into four basic
stages. Relationship breakdown is very unpredictable, and it could be the case
that breakdown does not happen in this chronological order. Some couples break
up, make up, break up, etc
Although ducks model was devised in 1982, what was introduced in 2006 to keep it more up to date? (+)
Fifth phase: resurrection phase added
This is where the person engages in personal growth and gets prepared for New Romantic relationships
Why did Akert critique ducks model?
He found that the role that people had in deciding if the relationship should breakdown was the most important prediction of the breakdown experience
What did Akert find out about the feelings of those that iniated the breakup vs those that got broken up with
Akert found that those who
did not initiate the end of the relationship were the most miserable, lonely,
depressed and angry in the weeks after the relationship ended. Those who
initiate the break down were the least stressed and least upset, but did feel
guilty.
