PSY 215 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Attachment Theory, Human Nature, Nonverbal Communication
4 Dec 2018
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CHAPTER 10
IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS
• Human nature is profoundly social and a person’s identity/self are shaped by social relationships
• BIOLOGICAL NEED for belonging in relationships—evolutionary basis, helps individuals survive
• Long term relationships facilitation reproduction
• Friendship evolved as a means of cooperation to avoid competition and aggression
• When we satisfy our need for friendship with a limited number of close friendships, we don’t continue
to seek more relationships. But if the need isn’t satisfied, we seek to satisfy it in other relationships
• When the need to belong is not met over a long period of time, people suffer consequences
• HARLOW EXPERIMENT—monkeys preferred the mother who provided comfort over food
• Support from others contributes to good health, well being, higher mortality, less suicide
DIFFERENT WAYS OF RELATING TO OTHERS
• Communal Relationship: the individuals feel a special responsibility for one other and give and receive
according to the principle of need, long term (East Asian, Latin America, Catholic)
• Exchange Relationship: individuals feel little responsibility toward one another; giving/receiving is
governed by equity and reciprocity, short term (Europe, commonwealth countries, Protestant)
• Social Exchange Theory: how people feel about a relationship depends on their assessments of its costs
and rewards, people are motivated to maximize their own feelings of satisfaction. People seek out
rewards and prefer relationships/interactions where rewards exceed the costs. Even the most intimate
relationships are based, to a certain extent, on rewards; people like people who give them rewards,
people like people who make them feel good. Applies more to individualistic cultures
• Comparison Level: expectations about what people think they deserve/expect to get out of
relationships, people who have high comparison levels expect a lot from their relationships
• Comparison Level for Alternatives: expectations people think they get out of alternative relationships
• Equity Theory: the idea that people are motivated to pursue fairness/equity in their relationships; a
relationship is considered equitable when the benefits are proportionate to the effort of both people
ATTACHMENT STYLES
• Attachment Theory: early attachments with parents or caregivers shape future relationships
• Human infants are born with few survival skills, they are extremely vulnerable, and survive by forming
close attachments to parental figures, sense of security. Overtime they become independent and develop
internal working models of themselves and how relationships function. Adult relationships function the
same way—adults seek comfort and support. Applies most to modern western culture
• AINSWORTH STRANGE SITUATION—secure attachment (mothers responded quickly and reliably,
comfortable in new environment), anxious attachment (caregivers are not as reliable, unpredictable,
distressed in new environment), and avoidant attachment (caregiver rejects infant, infant does not seek
out mother or even avoids)
• Attachment DIMENSIONS (not types)—securely attached people are low in both dimensions—they are
not anxious about rejection or abandonment, comfortable with intimacy and seeks closeness and support
o Anxiety Dimension: the amount of fear a person feels about rejection and abandonment within
close relationships
o Avoidance Dimensions: whether a person is comfortable or not with intimacy and dependence
in relationships, or finds them aversive
• Stability of attachment style—internal working models of attachment are established early and are
relatively stable throughout a person’s life. Secure attachment predicts the most positive outcomes.
Different attachment styles can be momentarily primed or activated depending on the situation
Document Summary
People seek out rewards and prefer relationships/interactions where rewards exceed the costs. Even the most intimate relationships are based, to a certain extent, on rewards; people like people who give them rewards, people like people who make them feel good. Attachment styles: attachment theory: early attachments with parents or caregivers shape future relationships, human infants are born with few survival skills, they are extremely vulnerable, and survive by forming close attachments to parental figures, sense of security. Overtime they become independent and develop internal working models of themselves and how relationships function. Adult relationships function the same way adults seek comfort and support. Different attachment styles can be momentarily primed or activated depending on the situation. Friendships of different ages or races tend to be those that fell into their laps: mere exposure effect: the idea that the repeated exposure to a stimulus/person leads to greater liking of them. People become more attracted to strangers as they interact more.
