4) Factors affecting attraction: Filter Theory

Name the creators of filter theory?

Kerckhoff and Davis

Briefly outline filter theory?

Filter theory was proposed by Kerckhoff and Davis.

It is an explanation of how romantic relationships form and develop.

• It suggests that we all have a field of available romantic partners, however we use a series of filters to narrow down this pool to a set of desirables.

• Potential partners are filtered through various stages over time, to ensure we find partners that meet our long term needs.

• There are 3 main filters, each of varying importance at different stages in a relationship.

Name the three filters in filter theory?

• Social demography

• Similarity of attitudes

• Complementarity

Describe social demography as a filter?

The first level is sociodemographic characteristics.

• Such as physical proximity, level of education, social class, religion etc…

Factors that influence the chances of people meeting in the first place.

• Meeting people regularly gives you the chance to find out more about them and makes it easier to build relationships with them.

• Anyone that is too different is discounted.

Describe similarity of attitudes as a filter?

People tend to view others as more attractive if they share the same core beliefs and values.

• Such as views on career and the importance of family.

BYRNE:
Noted that similarity of attitudes is especially important in earlier stages of relationships, for couples who have been together fewer than 18 months.

• Agreeing over basic things promotes self disclosure, which in turn, increases intimacy in a relationship.

• If partners have very little in common however, relationships rarely develop beyond the first few dates.

Describe complementarity as a filter?

Complementarity plays a more important role in longer term relationships.

• Complementarity refers to each of the partners having some traits that the other partner lacks, helping each other to fulfil their needs.

An example would be that one partner may enjoy meeting new people while the other may be more shy.

Evaluate one strength of filter theory?

STRENGTH: RESEARCH SUPPORT

KERKHOFF AND DAVIS:

In their original study, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study.

• They found that relationship closeness was associated with similarity of values in couples who have been together less than 19 months.

• Whereas, complementarity of needs predicted closeness in couples in longer term relationships.

This provides evidence for the central predictions of the theory.

Evaluate three limitations of filter theory?

COUNTERPOINT TO KERKHOFF AND DAVIS:

Some studies have failed to replicate these findings.

LEVENGER:

• Claims that this may be due to the difficulty of correlating length of relationships and depth of relationships.

• And also of determining what constitutes short term and long term relationships.

Kerkhoff and Davis set the cut off point for short term relationships at 18 months, assuming that if people have been in relationships longer, it signifies greater commitment.

• However, some couples take much longer than 18 months to establish a similarity of attitudes and complementarity, while others skip sociodemographic filters altogether.

• They might feel they are ready to commit to long term relationships earlier than the 18 month cut off point.

These experiences cannot be explained by the filter theory which undermines its credibility and validity.

LIMITATION: RESEARCH CHALLENGING COMPLEMENTARITY

Recent research suggested that complementary may not be central to all longer term relationships.

MARKEY AND MARKEY:

Found that lesbian couples who had been in a romantic relationships for 4 years on average and were of equal dominance, were the most satisfied.

• This suggests that similarity of needs may be associated with long-term satisfaction rather than complementarity as the theory suggests.

LIMITATION: FILTER THEORY AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Finally, the role of filters may have changed over time- technological developments may have reduced the role of the 1st level filter.

• Online dating and apps have increased the field of available people beyond the limits of physical location and other demographic variables.

Furthermore, concepts such as ‘swiping’ mean that physical appearance has become more important than physical location as an initial filter.

• This has resulted in many more relationships between partners from differing ethnic/cultural backgrounds than there were a generation ago, when physical location would have been more of a barrier.

This means filter theory needs to be adapted to the realities of modern day relationship formation by completely revising the features of the 1st level filter.