Boekhout et al also provides supporting research for how lack of skills or stimulation can lead to a breakdown. They studied extramarital affairs and found that the reasons for these affairs to occur was because they believed their relationship had lack of stimulation or lack of skills. However, a crisis is that these findings may not be genuine as purely the reason of why they had a affair at they would want to make themselves look like it wasn’t their fault.
Another strength is that this model had practical applications in counselling. Assessing which stage a couple is in can help to identify what steps should be taken to save the relationship. This model stresses the importance of communication in breakdown.
However, this model is very reductionistic. Breakdown is a complex situation and cannot occur in just four simple stages.
Therefore, Rollie and Duck later refined the model adding further aspects and explanation to breakdown of relationships. This new model contains the four stages in the previous but with an added two processes. This model focuses on the processes of breakdown instead of distinct stages like the previous model. The first stage in which they suggest occurs through breakdown is he breakdown stage. During the stage, someone starts to consider the relationship should finish. This then passes through the four stages in the previous model, Intrapsychic processes, Dyadic processes, social processes and grave-dressing processes. The final stage is the resurrection processes. In this stage each partner prepares for new relationships by learning from the mistakes of the prior relationship.
A strength of this model is it has an advantage over the previous stage model. Stage models reduces breakdown to basic and universal components. Rollie and Ducks model offers a more realistic description of how these processes develop in real life and is more useful than previous models.
It also provides a positive viewpoint to breakdown. Traditional models mainly focus on the distress of the breakdown rather than the personal growth gained. The resurrection stage in this model provides a more positive but more realistic view of how breakdown occurs.
A criticism of this model is that it simply describes the stages of breakdown rather than explaining why the breakdown may have happened. However, Argyle & Henderson found that among the most common reasons for relationship breakdowns, were jealousy, selfishness & public criticism.
Akert found further criticism for the model. Akert found that the instigators of break-ups suffer fewer negative consequences than non-instigators. Rollie & Duck use the same model for both instigators and non-instigators. This suggests that this model ignores individual differences such as this one.
Overall, most research was conducted on western, white, middle class individuals. Therefore shows an ethnocentric bias. Relationships can be affected by culture such as those where arranged marriages occur. In these cultures, separation and divorce are very unlikely and would therefore affect their breakdown. Therefore, these models cannot explain relationship breakdown as a whole.
In addition, the models have been developed on experiences of heterosexual individuals and therefore cannot explain experiences from homosexual individuals and limits the models explanations.
Moreover, they are deterministic as it suggests they all breakdowns must occur in these stages or processes. It fails to consider free will and how some people will not go through every stage and therefore once again doesn’t explain every single relationship.
Lastly, although Rollie and Duck refined the four stage model, the updated model is still reductionistic as it is putting the whole of breakdown into six stages in which isn’t realistic.
In conclusion, the models provide a valuable explanation to why breakdown occurs and has real life application to counselling those going through a breakdown. But, they fail to consider all relationships and therefore there must be other factors that may occur during breakdown and this model cannot solely explain breakdown.
by
ellouise1997hotmailcom (student)
