Intimate Relationships and Interpersonal Attraction

Interpersonal Relationships

social connections or bonds between two or more individuals

e.g., classmates, co-workers, parent-child, siblings, friends, romantic partners

Interpersonal Attraction

the tendency to evaluate positively and seek closeness with a person with whom we are not yet close

Instrumentality

the extent to which someone is able to help us achieve our current goals

we're attracted to others who can help us get what we want

Two dominant theories of interpersonal attraction:

Sociobiology and Social Exchange Theory

Sociobiology

the study of the evolutionary basis of social behavior

Natural Selection

the basic tenant of evolutionary theory that traits of an organism that result in procreation and the successful survival of offspring are more likely to persist across generations

Social Exchange Theory

social relationships are rooted in the rewards and costs associated with the other person.

Halo Effect

When our positive impressions of a person in one area lead us to have positive feelings in another area

Homophily

the tendency for individuals to associate with others who are similar to themselves

Similarity

the research finding that attraction is higher for individuals who are more alike

Phantom Stranger Technique

a research method developed by psychologist Donn Byrne in the 1960s to study interpersonal attraction and test the "similarity-attraction effect" (the idea that "birds of a feather flock together" rather than "opposites attract").

Implicit egoism

we like what we associate with ourselves

Self-essentialist beliefs

Beliefs attributing traits to an underlying essence.

Propinquity effect

the tendency to be attracted to people who are physically close to us