Lecture 9 - Intimate Relationships

What are the different types of social support

perceived and received

perceived support

idea that support is available in the future and has been available in the past

received support

a single instance of support (money or piece of advice)

paradox of social support

perceived support is almost always beneficial but received support is sometimes beneficial and sometimes detrimental

is perceived support the same as received

no

what are the two types of perceived support

direct and indirect

what is the direct association of perceived support

lower anxiety, reduced cortisol levels, and increased feelings of relationship closeness stability

what is the indirect association of perceived support

can reduce the harmful effects of negative events and stressors

stress-buffering hypothesis

how perceived stress can reduce association between negative event and its outcome

when we experience something negative that influences our wellbeing, those with greater levels of ____ support, the outcome is buffered and reduced

perceived

study by Cohen et al found that higher levels of perceived support was correlated to

less negative effects

when receiving support is important to keep in mind that support needs to be ___ in order to have decreased negative moods

reciprocated

matching support

disclosure of emotions followed by emotional support or request for help/information followed by instrumental support

mismatched support

need emotional support but instead get financial support

does matched or mismatched support predict lower martial satisfaction

mismatched

what is invisible support

person receiving help thinks they are doing it on their own; you don’t emphasize that you are helping them and do not directly tell them (secretly helping)

what is visible support

more direct and explicit form of support, may violate people’s sense of independence

example of visible support (direct):

My advice to you is to try your best to hang in there. It will be OK!

example of invisible support (indirect):

My sister went through something similar and tried her best to hang in there. it turned out ok!

when is invisible support the best

before the person realizes they need support or explicitly requests support

once they request support which type of support is best

visible support

providing support

reduces mortality risk and lights up reward regions in the brain

in a study Inagaki & Eisenberger, 2012 20 couples from long-term relationships, women were asked to provide support to their men and scanned as their male partners stood outside and received unpleasant electric shocks; results

holding the arm activated the ventral striatum and septal area (empathy and social connection) region

wives tended to provide better support on days when their husbands experienced greater stress while their husbands

displayed both support and negativity when wives experienced greater stress

social learning theory states that behavior is modeled and shaped within

relationships

is indirect or direct communication better when confronting problems

direct

those who accumulated more positive moments on average were ___ reactive to daily relationship threats (negative partner behaviors)

less

affection and conflict during early life

affection and conflict both positive

affection and conflict during middle years

affection negative and conflict positive

affection and conflict during later years

affection positive and conflict negative

why does affection decrease and conflict increase in middle years

increased role strain and tension, declined time spent together in pleasurable activities, rising conflicts over child-rearing, division of labor, and greater demands of women

why does affection increase and conflict decrease in later years

grown children leave the home, positive effects on marriage, lessened role strain, more time together, improves quality of interaction

not so empty nest

coresiding with children due to them suffering problems

what happens as couples grow older

more time together, better communication, fewer conflicts and maintained affection

are older men or women more likely to be widowed

older women

men rely on __ as confidant and martial disruption is (better or worse)

wife; worse

women rely on ___ as confidants and (better or poor quality) of marriage is worse for women

friends and family; poor quality

same sex couples are more likely to share

healthy behaviors, healthy communication style and work as a team on healthy behaviors

better wellbeing outcomes in married straight men or gay/bisexual individuals

married straight men

older or younger adults choosing cohabitation over marriage

older

true or false: cohabiting women who have friends and family close by are particularly less likely to marry

true

is dating or cohabitation more common

dating