PSYCH 137C MIDTERM 1

brain region known to respond to threats (hand-holding study)

right anterior insula

subjective well-being

a persons’s experience of how happy they are generally in life

why do people in relationships report greater well-being than people who are single?

coupled individuals experience less societal discrimination and receive more social support from friends and relatives

married people report greater happiness compared to

• unmarried people who are living together

• divorced, separated, or widowed people

people who choose to remain single can thrive if they

create social networds

relationship status

independent of relationship quality, the type of relationship a person is currently experiencing (e.g., dating, married, widowed, divorced, or no relationship)

relationship quality

how good or bad an individual judges their relationship to be

the heart attack study

in the 48 months following one partner’s heart attack, about 30% of the patients in happy relationships died, compared to 55% of the patients in unhappy relationships.

relationship transition

A change from one relationship status to another, as when a single person forms a domestic partnership, or when a married couple separates or divorces.

selection effect

A change from one relationship status to another, as when a single person forms a domestic partnership, or when a married couple separates or divorces.

protection effect

An association between two phenomena whereby one causes improvement or benefits in the other; for example, marriage appears to afford protection through improved health.

social control theory

The view that social relationships regulate, and impose limits on, how individuals behave by encouraging people to conform to social norms; weaker relationships increase the occurrence of deviant behavior.

pairbond

A connection between two people who have some degree of emotional and/or practical investment in each other, often with the purpose of reproducing.

natural selection

The process by which organisms that are best adapted to their environment survive and produce more offspring, thereby passing on genes to the next generation; the basis of Darwin’s theory of evolution.

fitness

the qualities of an organism that improve its chances of producing surviving offspring.

without __________ _________, there can be no relationship

bidirectional interdependence

interdependence

the mutual influence two people have over each other; the defining feature of any relationship. as relationships are characterized by bidirectional interdependence, both members have the capacity to affect each other’s thoughts, feelings, choices, and behaviors

impersonal relationships

a relationship that is formal and task-oriented, shaped more by the social roles individuals are filling than by their unique personal qualities

personal relationship

an interdependent relationship between two people who consider each other to be special and unique

closeness

a property of relationships that is reflected in the strength, frequency, and diversity of the influences partners have over each other

seven common attributes of intimate relationships

1. desire: wanting to be united with the partner, physically and emotionally

2. idealization: believing the partner is unique and special

3. disclosure: sharing events, emotions, and experiences

4. coordination: working together to accomplish key projects and tasks

5. proximity: taking steps to maintain or restore physical closeness or emotional contact with the partner

6. prioritizing: giving the relationship more importance than other interests and responsibilities

7. caring: experiencing and expressing feelings of empathy and compassion for the partner

intimate relationshp

a relationship characterized by strong, sustained, mutual influence across a wide range of interactions, typically including lustful desire and the possibility of sexual involvement

three main components of love in intimate relationships:

1. passion

2. intimacy

3. commitment

romantic love

in Sternberg’s framework, love characterized by passion and intimacy, but low levels of commitment, such as a summer romance.

fatuous love

in Sternberg’s framework, love characterized by passion and commitment, but low levels of genuine intimacy, such as a whirlwind, Hollywood-style romance

companionate love

in Sternberg’s framework, love characterized by intimacy and commitment, but low levels of passion, such as a long-term partnership in which sexual passion has dwindled

consummate love

in Sternberg’s framework, love characterized by high levels of passion, intimacy, and commitment

brain region associated with love

front insula

brain region associated with lust

back insula

order that the three components of relationships develop

1. intimacy

2. passion

3. commitment

passion

a strong feeling of attraction, excitement, intense preoccupation, and sexual interest in another person

intimacy

a sense of psychological closeness in a relationship, often accompanied by openness, trust, and authentic friendship

commitment

the intention to be in a relationship, including efforts to maintain it; investing in a relationship to help ensure that it lasts

psychoanalysis

Originating with Freud, the theory that popularized the distinction between the conscious and unconscious mind.

radical behaviorism

Originating with Skinner, the idea that behaviors are shaped (or “conditioned”) by their consequences, leaving no room for complex cognition or meaning.

theory

An interconnected set of beliefs, knowledge, and assumptions that relate to understanding a phenomenon.

evolutionary psychology

A field within psychology guided by the idea that the brain evolved in response to selection pressures leading some capacities to be associated with more successful reproduction, and others to be associated with less successful reproduction; as a theory of intimate relationships, it explains mating preferences and behaviors in terms of their adaptive functions.

sexual selection

A mechanism of evolution whereby features of an organism that contribute to successful reproduction (such as helping the organism attract or compete for mates) are passed on to future generations.

psychological mechanism

One of many evolved preferences, capacities, responses, and strategies characterizing the human species that enable the implementation of some function or adaptation; often associated with the evolutionary perspective on intimate relationships.

evolutionary mismatch

Situations in which evolved tendencies that were adaptive in our ancestral past fail to be adaptive, or even prove maladaptive, in the present.

environment of evolutionary adaptedness

The period tens of thousands of years ago during which the human species took its current form.

theory of parental investment

Trivers’s observation that sexual selection pressures will vary according to the amount of energy and resources each parent must invest to raise surviving offspring.

cross-cultural studies

Research designed to compare and contrast behaviors, beliefs, and values across populations that vary in their culture, ethnicity, or country of origin.

attachment theory

A theory of intimate relationships proposing that the relationships formed in adulthood are shaped by the nature of the bonds formed with primary caregivers during infancy and early childhood.

attachment figure

A person an individual depends on as a source of comfort, care, and security. See also attachment theory.

attachment behavior system

A set of behaviors and reactions that helps ensure a developing child’s survival by keeping the child in close physical contact with caregivers.

felt security

The sense of safety and protection that allows a developing child to explore the world and take risks.

working model of attachment

Psychological structures that represent the conscious and unconscious beliefs, expectations, and feelings people have about themselves, others, and relationships; formed during infancy and childhood through experiences with caregivers. Also called internal working model.

attachment style

A person’s relatively stable beliefs about the likelihood of other people providing support and care when needed. The four basic attachment styles are secure, preoccupied, dismissing, and fearful. See also attachment theory.

secure attachment

A style of attachment characterized by positive views of the self and others, thus enabling effective interpersonal relationships.

preoccupied attachment

A style of attachment characterized by a positive view of others but a low sense of self-worth.

dismissing attachment

A style of attachment characterized by a positive view of the self and a negative view of others; dismissing people are satisfied with solitude and doubtful that an intimate partner would improve their life.

fearful attachment

A style of attachment characterized by negative views of the self and others; fearful people long for social contact but tend to withdraw to protect themselves from being hurt.