Relationships
Discuss self-disclosure as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships
When a person reveals intimate personal information (thoughts, feelings and experiences) about themselves
to another person – increases intimacy and trust, making them more attractive
Suggests we reveal more information to people we like and in turn we like people who reveal more personal
information about themselves to us
Altman and Taylor said that we see self-disclosure of personal information by others as rewarding as it signals
their liking of us
AO3:
May only affect attraction if the personal information is appropriate and doesn’t break social norms that exist
as to what information is okay to reveal and at which times – Altman and Taylor reported disclosing personal
information in initial stages of a relationship was inappropriate and didn’t enhance attraction – however, most
research doesn’t differentiate between different types of romantic relationships, self-disclosure may only
make an individual more attractive in higher intimacy relationships
Issue is that it can’t be applied to both genders in the same way – Derlega and Chaikan (1976) reported men
who disclosed personal information violated social expectations and were judged unfavourably – however
Allen (1992) found females regarded intimate disclosure as a development of closeness and thus judged men
who did so more favourably – individual differences (some women may like men who self-disclose while
others may not) and lacks temporal validity
May only affect attraction if we believe the reason why a person is self-disclosing to us is important, less
attraction occurs if an individual is seen as the kind of person who discloses personal information to everyone
– Kleine found individuals who were perceived as being selective about who they disclosed personal
information to were seen as more attractive as the recipient felt specially chosen – however, it’s unlikely that
attractiveness would be reliant purely on level/type of disclosure, it’s probably a mixture of factors, e.g.
physical attraction, attitudes, etc
Discuss physical attractiveness as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships
Plays a role in initial attraction as it can signify genetic health and fertility
It can create a halo effect where people incorrectly form an impression of someone based on their looks –
Brighan found physically attractive people are seen as having desirable personality traits, e.g. being sociable,
interesting and exciting
Matching hypothesis – Walster et al
First, individuals assess their own level of physical attractiveness and then select a partner of similar
perceived attractiveness
Compromise is necessary because of a fear of rejection from a more attractive person
It’s been hypothesised that individuals feel more secure in a relationship with someone of equal physical
attractiveness due to fears that a more attractive partner might leave them for someone else
AO3:
Support for matching hypothesis – Murstein asked participants to assess from photo’s the physical
attractiveness level of genuine and non-genuine couples – found the real couples were more likely to be
judged as of similar attractiveness to each other – however may lack internal validity as the hypothesis says
couples rate their own attractiveness
Limitation is that it’s socially sensitive – Sprecher and Hatfield suggest people come to a relationship offering
many desirable characteristics of which physical attraction is one, a person may compensate for a lack of
physical attraction with other desirable qualities, call this complex matching – the matching hypothesis puts
too much emphasis on physical attraction and makes people think physical attraction is more important than it
really is
Contradictory research – Walster et al found that when students were paired with a partner for a fresher’s
dance, the most attractive people were liked more, regardless of the individuals own attractiveness – doesn’t
support matching hypothesis as the matching hypothesis says you rate your own attraction first and then pick
someone of similar attraction to avoid rejection – however, they were already paired together so there was no
chance of rejection – although it happened in a naturalistic setting meaning it has high ecological validity
Discuss self-disclosure as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships
When a person reveals intimate personal information (thoughts, feelings and experiences) about themselves
to another person – increases intimacy and trust, making them more attractive
Suggests we reveal more information to people we like and in turn we like people who reveal more personal
information about themselves to us
Altman and Taylor said that we see self-disclosure of personal information by others as rewarding as it signals
their liking of us
AO3:
May only affect attraction if the personal information is appropriate and doesn’t break social norms that exist
as to what information is okay to reveal and at which times – Altman and Taylor reported disclosing personal
information in initial stages of a relationship was inappropriate and didn’t enhance attraction – however, most
research doesn’t differentiate between different types of romantic relationships, self-disclosure may only
make an individual more attractive in higher intimacy relationships
Issue is that it can’t be applied to both genders in the same way – Derlega and Chaikan (1976) reported men
who disclosed personal information violated social expectations and were judged unfavourably – however
Allen (1992) found females regarded intimate disclosure as a development of closeness and thus judged men
who did so more favourably – individual differences (some women may like men who self-disclose while
others may not) and lacks temporal validity
May only affect attraction if we believe the reason why a person is self-disclosing to us is important, less
attraction occurs if an individual is seen as the kind of person who discloses personal information to everyone
– Kleine found individuals who were perceived as being selective about who they disclosed personal
information to were seen as more attractive as the recipient felt specially chosen – however, it’s unlikely that
attractiveness would be reliant purely on level/type of disclosure, it’s probably a mixture of factors, e.g.
physical attraction, attitudes, etc
Discuss physical attractiveness as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships
Plays a role in initial attraction as it can signify genetic health and fertility
It can create a halo effect where people incorrectly form an impression of someone based on their looks –
Brighan found physically attractive people are seen as having desirable personality traits, e.g. being sociable,
interesting and exciting
Matching hypothesis – Walster et al
First, individuals assess their own level of physical attractiveness and then select a partner of similar
perceived attractiveness
Compromise is necessary because of a fear of rejection from a more attractive person
It’s been hypothesised that individuals feel more secure in a relationship with someone of equal physical
attractiveness due to fears that a more attractive partner might leave them for someone else
AO3:
Support for matching hypothesis – Murstein asked participants to assess from photo’s the physical
attractiveness level of genuine and non-genuine couples – found the real couples were more likely to be
judged as of similar attractiveness to each other – however may lack internal validity as the hypothesis says
couples rate their own attractiveness
Limitation is that it’s socially sensitive – Sprecher and Hatfield suggest people come to a relationship offering
many desirable characteristics of which physical attraction is one, a person may compensate for a lack of
physical attraction with other desirable qualities, call this complex matching – the matching hypothesis puts
too much emphasis on physical attraction and makes people think physical attraction is more important than it
really is
Contradictory research – Walster et al found that when students were paired with a partner for a fresher’s
dance, the most attractive people were liked more, regardless of the individuals own attractiveness – doesn’t
support matching hypothesis as the matching hypothesis says you rate your own attraction first and then pick
someone of similar attraction to avoid rejection – however, they were already paired together so there was no
chance of rejection – although it happened in a naturalistic setting meaning it has high ecological validity
