Relationships: topic 4 ‘factors affecting attraction - filter theory’

Question 1

what is filter theory split into? why? by who?

Answer 1

• kerckhoff and davis proposed that there are three factors that act as filters to ‘ narrow down’ the range of available romantic partners
• Social demography, similarity in attitudes, complementarity

Question 2

what is social demography? 1st filter

Answer 2

• this refers to variables which determine the likelihood of meeting in the first place
• Individuals will be limited to those who live near to us, work with us, socialise with us, who are of similar age, geographical location, social class, and religion
• such people will appear attractive, as their similarity will make communication easier, aiding the development of a relationship
• anyone who is too different is discounted as a potential partner

Question 3

what is similarity in attitudes? 2nd filter

Answer 3

• at the second level of filter, the ‘ field of availables’ has been narrowed by the first filter
• at this stage it is argued that the best predictor of the relationship becoming stable is ‘ similarity of attitudes’
• this refers to the need for new romantic partners to agree over basic values and beliefs as this makes communication easier, enabling the relationship to progress
• partners with different values are considered unsuitable are filtered out

Question 4

what is complementarity? 3rd filter

Answer 4

• this refers to how well two people fit together as a couple and meet each other’s needs
• two partners compliment each other when they have traits which the other lack
• for example, the need to be caring and the need to be cared for
• these couples provide one another with mutual satisfaction
• opposites attract in long-term relationships and couples have a sense that together they from a whole, which adds depth to their relationship and makes it more likely to flourish and last in the long-term

Question 5

strengths of filter theory as a factor affecting attraction

Answer 5

P - evidence to support filter theory from clark
E/E - found that 50% of citizens of Columbus in USA were married to partners who initially lived within walking distance of their house
L - this supports that similarity of social demographic variables is an important factor affecting the choice of possible partners one could be attracted to

P - evidence to support the filter theory from kerckoff and davis
E/E - studied dating couples at university, found that although couples who had been dating for less than 18 months reported that similarity of attitude was the most important factor in how close they felt, those who had been together for longer than 18 months reported complementarity of needs was more important
L - this supports the importance of similarity and complementarity in relationships, but also the changing importance of factors or filters overtime as relationships become deeper
E - HOWEVER this research has been criticised for using an 18 month cut-off point as this does not represent long-term relationships, furthermore, defining the depth of a relationship in terms of its length is problematic as it may be false to assume that partners who have been together longer and more committed or have a deeper relationship

Question 6

limitations of all factors affecting attraction

Answer 6

P - research into factors affecting attraction is largely based on correlational data
E - the research only establishes a link but cannot say that one co-variable caused the change in the other
E - for example, it is often assumed that levels of physical attractiveness, greater self disclosure, or greater similarity causes more satisfaction, but this may not be the case
L - this is a problem as explanations of factors affecting attraction may be misleading

P - much of the research into factors affecting attraction, lacks temporal validity
E - the rise of online dating (eg online dating apps such as tinder) in recent years has dramatically changed the process of beginning a romantic relationship compared to 30 years ago
E - for example, issues like social demography, self disclosure, and physical attractiveness have all changed in nature as people present themselves in different ways online as opposed to face-to-face
L - suggest that individuals are less likely to be limited in some of the ways people are when looking for a romantic relationship in person and new theories are required to explain these changing factors

P - research into factors affecting attraction may suffer from cultural bias
E - most theories have been proposed by Western researchers who live in individualist cultures like the US (which emphasise the needs of the individual over the group), rather than collectivist cultures like India or China (where the reverse is true), so these theories may only explain romantic relationships in this type of culture
E - for example, how the individual views physical attractiveness, levels of disclosure or similarity of attitudes may be less important in collective cultures where people may be more focused on the needs of others rather than their own satisfaction
L - this suggests that explanations of attraction are limited as they are not universal