Outline and evaluate the contributions of psychological research (theories and/or studies) to our understanding of the formation of relationships
(24 marks)
One theory of formation of relationships that has contributed to our understanding of the formation of relationships, is the reward/need satisfaction theory. Byrne and Clove suggest that this theory means mutual attraction occurs when each partner meets the other persons need through operant conditioning. This might be the need for financial satisfaction or love etc. The rewards and needs can come from various factors. One of these factors is proximity which describes the distance between you and the potential partner. If the proximity is close then the reward gained is less effort being put in in having to see them. Another factor similarity refers to how similar you are to the potential partner in regards to the interests you both share i.e. religion, beliefs, music etc. The more similar you are the high the reward of enjoying each other’s company. A last factor is physical attractiveness referring to how attractive you think the potential partner is. A supporting study was done by Cate et al where he asked 337 individuals to assess their existing relationships in terms of reward level and satisfaction. The results found that reward levels was the most superior out of all other factors in determining relationship satisfaction. This therefore increases the reliability of the ‘Need/Satisfaction Theory’ and does explain why we form romantic relationships. Also supporting this is the fact that there is evidence by Zajonc (1968) supporting the rewards and need satisfaction theory. He conducted a lab experiment which predicted the more time spent with one another, the more one another liked each other. He found that the longer spent with someone the more they liked them and the more they found them psychically