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A* Filter Theory essay
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This is an A/ A* essay for A-Level Psychology paper 3
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Factors affecting attraction – Filter Theory[16 marks]
The filter theory was developed by Kerckhoff and Davis 1962, and it’s an explanation of the
relationship formation. It states that a series of different factors progressively reduce the
range of available romantic partners to a much smaller pool of possibilities. The filters
include social demography, similarity in attitudes and complementarity.
Social demography refers to a wide range of factors, all of which influence the chances of
potential partners meeting each other in the first place. They include geographical locations
(proximity), social class, level of education, ethnic group, religion and so on. You are much
more likely to meet people who are physically close to you and who share several
demographic characteristics. Although we might frequently encounter people who live
further away, our most meaningful and memorable interactions are with people who are
nearby. The key benefit of proximity is accessibility. It doesn’t require much effort to meet
people who live in the same area, go to the same school or university and so on.
Although there is a vast range and variety of potential partners the realistic field is much
narrower because our choices are constrained by our social circumstances. Effectively,
anyone who is too ‘different’ is discounted as a potential partner. The outcome of this
filtering is homogamy – you’re more likely to form a relationship with someone who is
socially or culturally similar. Most of us find shared demographic similarities attractive.
Moreover, the second level of filter is similarity in attitudes; partners will often share
important beliefs and values, partly because the field of available has already been
narrowed by the first filter to those who have significantly social and cultural characteristics
in common. Kerckhoff and Davis found that similarity of attitudes was important to the
development of romantic relationships, but only for the couples who had been together for
less than 18 months. There is a need for partners in the early stages of a relationship to
agree over basic values, things that really matter to them. This encourages greater and
deeper communication, and promoted self- disclosure
There is considerable evidence that most of us find this similarity attractive, at least to begin
with. Byrne (1997) has described the consistent findings that similarity causes attraction as
the law pf attraction. If such similarity does not exist, (e.g. it turns out the partners have
little in common after all), then the relationship is likely to be short- lived.
Furthermore, the third filter is complementarity. This concerns the ability of romantic
partners to meet each others’ needs. Two partners complement each other when they have
traits that the other lacks. For example, one partner may enjoy making the other laugh, and
in turn this partner enjoys being made to laugh, or perhaps one partner is more dominant
than the other. Kerckhoff and Davis found that the need for complementarity was more
important for the long-term couples; at a later stage of a relationship, opposites attract.
Complementarity is attractive because it gives two romantic partners the feeling that
together they form a while, which adds depth to a relationship and makes it more likely to
flourish.
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