Relationships - Theories of the Breakdown of Relationships
Reasons WHY relationships breakdown - Duck 1999
Duck considered findings from longitudinal studies, identified several factors making relationship more fragile and liable to breakdown
1. Maintenance Difficulties - relationship strained/cannot maintain close personal contact e.g. when partner moves for work/university. Responsible for dissolution, although some relationships strong enough to survive pressures of decreased daily contact.
2. Lack of skills - lacking interpersonal skills & cannot mutually satisfy. those lacking social skills; poor communication of interest.
3. Lack of stimulation - boredom/belief relationship not going anywhere often cited for cause of breakdown. people expect relationship to develop. if not seen, justification for ending the relationship
Evaluation
Research to support lack of skills/stimulation leading to breakdown. Boekhout - showed extra-relational affairs could link to lack of skills/stimulation. participants rated men more likely for affair because of sexual excitement/boredom and variety. women rated likely because of lack of attention/commitment/satisfaction.
Research against lack of proximity leading to breakdown. Long distance relationships more common than realised. 70% of students sampled experienced at lease one LDRR. Fact people move means useful to understand management strategies people use. Holt and Stone found little decrease in dissatisfaction as long as lovers reunite regularly. lack of proximity too simplistic for breakdown
Alternative Explanations - Fatal Attraction Theory. provides explanation on interpretation of factors initially attractive. Felmlee - behaviours initially appealing become exaggerated traits which are dissatisfying. e.g. "being amusing" may later be "annoying" or "not serious". occurs most in young people.
Cultural Bias - Non-Western relationships may have formed differently with different pressures in dissolution e.g. arranged marriages, entire families and communities involved in breakup with factors like honour and family reputation.







