Explain using evidence from studies why some relationships seem to prosper while others fail. How useful is the research that focuses on this issue?

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Explain using evidence from studies why some relationships seem to prosper while others fail. How useful is the research that focuses on this issue?

Why is it that some relationships last for decades, whereas some fail within weeks? There are a variety of different explanations for why relationships may succeed while others don’t, including Levinger’s stage theory of maintenance, the social penetration theory and cognitive factors.

One explanation into why some relationships fail and others succeed is Levinger’s stage theory of maintenance. He suggested that over time, relationships become progressively more intimate, and they go through five stages. The first one is acquaintance where the relationship starts with mutual attraction. Next is build up, where self-disclosure happens and the couples become more dependent on each other. The third stage is continuation where their routines start to fit in together and they meet friends and family. After this, deterioration may happen where the relationship breaks down due to an imbalance of costs and rewards. The ending stage is last. Levinger’s stage theory is good because it explains what happens during a relationship and when each stage occurs. It also emphasises that relationships change in predictable ways over time. However, it does not take into account individual differences, as not all relationships follow go through the same stages in the same order. For example, Brehm found that there are large differences among couples. It also doesn’t explain why relationships go through these stages.

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The social penetration theory also offers an explanation for why relationships fail. Altman and Taylor (1973) suggested that the development of a relationship involves increased self-disclosure on both sides. Self-disclosure refers to revealing personal and sensitive information about oneself to another person. The social penetration theory says that people match the level of self-disclosure with the other person, as this is the norm of self-disclosure reciprocity. If someone reveals personal information about themselves too early, it can make the other person feel threatened. Archer (1979) stated that in an intimate relationship it is more likely for the other person ...

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