Social Psychology - Essay Example

Social psychology week 5 Assignment Share your thoughts about what contributes to attraction and whether or not men and women seek different qualities and characteristics in a mate and why. There are five major reasons categorized by research that contribute to interpersonal attraction between individuals. The first of these is proximity which refers to the closeness associated between different people and the impact that it has on their relationship. For example it can be seen that most of our friends reside close to where we live, or at least they did during the time that the friendship developed. The second factor is ‘association’, which refers to our ability to base our opinions about other individuals depending on our current state. For example, if you meet some one during an enjoyable afternoon you might find them more likable than when you meet them during a bad day. Similarity is another key contributor which refers to how many things that you have in common with another person which would most likely result in more attractiveness (Neimeyer & Mitchell, 1988). Reciprocal liking contributes to attraction based on the simple principle that we tend to like those people who also like us back. When an individual associates feelings of happiness when they are around a person, they tend to have a higher level of attraction towards that person. Lastly physical attractiveness is a critical determinant of attraction as it encompasses our ability to be drawn towards those who we think to be appealing and who reflect our own physical attractiveness (AllPsych online, web) When you look at the parental investment theory you realize the differences between men and women’s ability to seek different qualities and characteristics in a mate. The theory denotes that men are more likely to be more interested in their mate’s youthfulness and physical attractiveness. These preferred characteristics are explained by evolutionary psychologists as being indicative of a women’s ability to reproduce successfully. On the other hand women are more inclined towards characteristics in their mate such as social status, riches, and ambition. Why this is because partners’ with these characteristics have the ability to effectively provide for offspring. References All Psych Online. Our view of self and others. Web. Retrieved from: http://allpsych.com/psychology101/attribution_attraction.html Baron, R., Branscombe, N., Byrne, D. (2009). Social Psychology (12th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.  Trivers, R.L. (1972). "Parental investment and Sexual Selection". Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man: The Darwinian Pivot. 36-179 Neimeyer. R & Mitchell. K. (1988). “ Similarity and attraction: A longitudinal study.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. May 1988, vol. 5, no. 2, 131-148   Assignment 2 I came across an interesting article by Tracy & Beall called ‘The impact of emotion expressions on sexual attraction’ that highlights certain differences in the relative sexual attractiveness of individuals displaying feelings such as joy, arrogance, and shame when contrasted with a unbiased control. Two studies were conducted and they both used different images and samples that varied in age (Total N= 1041). The results show a great amount of difference that observed in the sexual attractiveness between men and women preferences; it was found that women who displayed happy emotions were most attractive whereas it was the least attractive emotion in men. Whereas pride in comparison showed the opposite result, being a highly attractive female expression, and least appealing in men. Shame on the other hand was found to be relatively appealing in both men and women; it was found that younger adult women found male shame to be more attractive when compared to male happiness but less appealing than male pride. It was found that the results of this research were consistent with evolutionary as well as socio-cultural-norms. Reference Tracy.L.J & Beall.T.A. (2011).The impact of emotion expressions on sexual attraction. Emotion 2011; doi:10.1037/a0022902 Assignment 3 The relationship in my life that I have found well satisfying is the one that I have with my sister. The fact that the age difference between us is that of only two years we have always gotten along superbly. Now don’t get me wrong we’ve fought, and disagreed and had our fair share of fights but we’ve loved, shared and grown up together. She has been my best friend for as long as I remember. The key to the solidarity of our relationship has always been our ability to communicate so effectively and trust each other. Over the years we have learned to share not only our toys but also our needs, wants, desires and goals. A relationship that started well in my life but cooled over time is the when I lost a friend to drug abuse. We had been close for very many years, went to the same college however now despite the fact that we live in the same city we hardly ever see each other. Despite my support and me constantly being there to bale him out of trouble there came a point when I could not stand by the choices he was making and trust him anymore. What he was doing to himself despite my constant reality checks, was too difficult for me to stand by and watch. Eventually we lost touch. It is true that there are certain costs and some benefits that are associated with every relationship (Baron, Branscombe, and Byrne, 2009), I understand that every individual has flaws however I also believe that you cannot help someone who is not at some level willing to make the effort to change. I remember my father at some point developed a drinking problem however my mother stepped up and we all staged an intervention after which things changed for the better. My father went to support groups and worked hard and beat his habit. My friend on the other hand despite the hurt he inflicted on his loved ones by lying and making promises that he could not keep received constant support until the costs outweighed the benefits (Baron et al. 2009). There are certain ways that tense situations and relationship problems are manifested. This could be through communication problems, emotional dependency, anxiety and stress etc. (Martinson et al., 2010); however there comes a point that the relationship hinges on the negative without there being a silver lining. As selfish as it might sound maintaining that relationship was too much work, required too much energy and too disappointing. The factors which contribute mainly to the formation and maintenance of a satisfying relationship are proximity between individuals, similarity between likes and dislikes and the value system of these individuals (Baron, Branscombe, & Byrne, 2009). References Baron, R. A., Branscombe, N. R., & Bryne, D. (2009). Social psychology (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Martinson, V. K., Holman, T. B., Larson, J. H., & Jackson, J. B. (2010). The relationship between coming to terms with family-of-origin difficulties and adult relationship satisfaction. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 38, 207-217 Assignment 4 I came across an interesting research article that discusses ‘Relationship difficulties and help-seeking behavior – Secondary analysis of an existing data-set’ by Josephine Ramm, Lester Coleman, Fiona Glenn and Penny Mansfield, 2011. The research talks about the breakdown of couples that is observed in the society today. The research utilized a data set that included a number of interviews of individuals who happened to be in a long term relationship at a point in their lives. There were a total of 112 individuals who were separately interviewed along with a total of eight focus group debates which included 64 individuals. The results indicated that 45% of marriages eventually lead to divorce. Whereas other relationships that include cohabiting unions are more complex and breakable. Furthermore the research goes to say that a couple relationship break down is highly likely to lead to damaging impacts on both the individuals who are in the relationship, especially if they have any children they are the one’s who suffer the most. References Ramm,J., Coleman,J., Glenn,F. and Mansfield,F. (2011). Relationship difficulties and help-seeking behavior – Secondary analysis of an existing data-set. ISBN 978-1-84775-780-7 Read More