Interpersonal Attraction

10 Key excerpts on "Interpersonal Attraction"

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  Social Psychology in Christian Perspective

  Exploring the Human Condition

  • Angela M. Sabates(Author)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • IVP Academic

    (Publisher)

  Interpersonal Attraction and Relationships Who Likes Whom and When and Why? If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. . . . Love your enemies, do good. LUKE 6:32, 35  

  The Relevance of Relationships and Interpersonal Attraction

  How people become attracted to one another is perhaps one of the most popular topics for university students to explore. As Klohnen and Luo (2003) note, why we are attracted to some individuals more than others is one of the fundamental human dilemmas. After all, these initial attractions have important implications for decisions about those with whom we are most likely to form long-lasting relationships. And, as Bowlby (1989) noted, these sorts of attachments are an important ingredient of human experience “from the cradle to the grave.” Berscheid (1985) likewise noted the importance of relationships that result from Interpersonal Attraction. He found that when people were asked what makes their life meaningful, most of the answers referred to close relationships with family and friends as well as romantic partners. Thus, this subject certainly has relevance for everyday life.

  Social psychologists are interested in much more than just what attracts people to each other for a date on Saturday night (albeit an important topic in its own right!). The term Interpersonal Attraction is used in a much broader sense to include how people are drawn to one another in different sorts of interactions or relationships: whether romantic, friendship or fleeting encounters.

  As you have seen throughout this text, different sorts of social relationships and the factors that impact them are of primary concern to social psychologists. For instance, research on social perception helps us understand how the ways in which we perceive others affect our desire to form relationships with them. Likewise, research on group behavior investigates both the power of the relationships within groups as well as the relationships between groups. Helping

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  School Psychology

  A Social Psychological Perspective

  • Frederic J. Medway, Thomas P. Cafferty, Frederic Medway, Frederic J. Medway, Thomas P. Cafferty, Frederic Medway(Authors)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Because attraction and friendship formation among group members is an everyday social occurrence, it should not be surprising to find that social psychologists have a history of studying Interpersonal Attraction, friendship and group formation, and the socialization processes that occur in groups. This chapter reviews and overviews much of that research as we discuss how social psychologists have studied Interpersonal Attraction as well as the implications of social psychological research for education professionals.

  Social psychologists have brought several orientations to the study of attraction. First, they have tried to look at processes occurring within individuals (i.e., at the intraindividual level), particularly at how individuals react to cues from others such as dress, attractiveness, body posture, attentiveness, and so on (e.g., Berscheid & Walster, 1978; Maruyama & Miller, 1981). This literature has been called research on impression formation. Second, they have looked at interpersonal or interindividual behaviors, namely, how an individual’s reactions to another person affect the latter person’s reactions to the first person (e.g., Snyder, Tanke, & Berscheid, 1977), as well as how long-term interactions among individuals affect earlier impressions (e.g. Snyder & Swann, 1978). Third, they have looked beyond individuals to groups, studying, for example, the pressure that groups put on individuals as well as the ways that groups exert pressure (Asch, 1952; French & Raven, 1959). This work in particular has been tied to schools, for it provided one model to guide school desegregation (e.g., Maruyama, Miller, & Holtz, 1986). Fourth, they have looked in detail at the development and consequences of peer relationships (e.g., Hartup, 1983). In effect, a number of complementary approaches have combined to provide a broad perspective for viewing Interpersonal Attraction and interpersonal relationships in group settings. This chapter tries to summarize those approaches, beginning with a discussion of the importance of Interpersonal Attraction.

  Importance of Interpersonal Attraction

  First, Interpersonal Attraction can aid in processes of socialization. Socialization occurs in families, in church and community groups, in neighborhoods, and in schools; because the present volume is oriented to issues of school psychology, we focus on socialization in schools. Educators have described a number of important functions that schools serve beyond teaching academic skills. Socialization, acculturation, and value transmission are prominent examples. These functions often have been addressed implicitly and given labels like the hidden curriculum

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  Rewarding People

  The Skill of Responding Positively

  • David Dickson, Christine Saunders, Maurice Stringer(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Taylor & Francis

    (Publisher)

  Chapter 6

  Interpersonal Attraction and reward

  INTRODUCTION

  We have seen how various verbal and nonverbal features of interpersonal behaviour, acting as social rewards, can have a significant impact on what the interactive partner does and, in more global terms, not only determine perceptions of warmth and empathy, but also make a beneficial contribution to outcomes in counselling, therapy and education. Additionally, the giving and receiving of rewards have also been associated with the establishment of Interpersonal Attraction. It is to this topic that we now turn.

  Social interchange which is rewarding can have the effect of establishing positive attitudes between interactants which in turn can lead to lasting friendship and even love. We are often attracted to those who react positively to us. The first part of this chapter will examine three factors which are considered to be instrumental in attempting to explain attraction between people: physical attractiveness, attitude similarity and complementarity, and personality. In addition, it can be shown, from a review of studies devoted to the phenomenon, that, firstly, an individual deemed ‘attractive’ is more likely to obtain rewards from others and, secondly, that an individual’s ‘attractiveness’ can be a source of reward to others. The remainder of the chapter focuses upon the research and application of ideas about attraction in some of the applied professions. It is important to bear in mind that the intention is not to provide a litany of research findings on the topic (see Byrne, 1971 and Berscheid, 1985 for extensive research reviews), but rather a brief account of some of the central features of it and an overview of key research findings in three distinctly different contexts, namely teaching, counselling and the law. While some reference will be made to attraction as a feature in the initial stages of forming a relationship, a more detailed consideration of relationships and the contribution of rewards to them will be left to Chapter Nine.

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  Social Beings

  Core Motives in Social Psychology

  • Susan T. Fiske(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  Both self-enhancing and understanding are served by liking those who are most familiar. This is the unifying principle of attraction: sheer familiarity, despite what fiction says. This chapter shows that those we seek for love, friendship, and other relationships tend to seem familiar directly as well as indirectly, by way of physical attractiveness, similarity, and reciprocity. And sometimes even a “plait of such recent fashion” above “a shaded hollow of skin.” We return also to exotic attractions. Attraction in Daily Life and in Science Poets, novelists, philosophers, and plain folks contemplate the meaning of attraction, but scien- tists, too, are fascinated by liking and loving. Attraction does not submit to direct dissection, as Ellen Berscheid (1985) pointed out, for it is a hypothetical construct (a term introduced in Chapter 2 as an idea that links together various other ideas or observations sharing some common property). The self and attitudes both are hypothetical constructs as well. As with any hypothet- ical construct, we can know the symptoms of attraction, but we cannot point to the thing itself. Because researchers cannot directly observe attraction, definitions differ, but they do agree on central themes. 1 Copyright © Grove/Atlantic. Reprinted with permission. 225 226 ATTRACTION: INITIATING ROMANCE, FRIENDSHIP, AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS Conceptual Definitions Attraction concerns a desire for a voluntary relationship, sustained because the participants enjoy each other (Huston & Levinger, 1978). Attraction is a prelude to intimacy, but intimacy implies an established close relationship. (As the next chapter shows, intimacy is a wonderfully complex topic in its own right.) Here, we address people’s initial feelings for each other in a wide variety of potential relationships. Western researchers tend to view affiliation as a matter of personal choice, discounting the seemingly arbitrary effects of the social situation.

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  Social Psychology

  • Saba Safdar, Catherine A. Sanderson(Authors)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  arousal from one source can have when it’s (mis)attributed to another source. This chapter describes factors that impact on Interpersonal Attraction and close relationships. You’ll also find answers to the following questions: Why are secret affairs often very exciting? Why do we feel different about those we love compared to those we are in love with? Why do couples who engage in novel tasks report more satisfaction in their relationships than those who engage in mundane tasks? Why are men more concerned about their partner having sex with someone, and women more concerned about their partner falling in love with someone? Why do American people have best friends while Chinese people have strong familial social networks? LAW CONNECTIONS Benefits of Physical Attractiveness in Occupation and Crimes Why We Get by with a Little Help from Our Friends (and Pets) HEALTH CONNECTIONS Does the Internet Facilitate Intimacy or Inhibit It? MEDIA CONNECTIONS WHAT YOU’LL LEARN What predicts Interpersonal Attraction What love is What predicts relationship satisfaction Common problems in close relationships How culture influences Interpersonal Attraction and close relationships The need to form close interpersonal bonds with others is a fundamental part of human nature (Borum, 2010; Easterbrook & Vignoles, 2013; Kansky, 2018; Okdie & Ewoldsen, 2018). As noted by William James in 1920, “Human beings are born into this life span of which the best thing is its friendships and intimacies.” We care about what other people think of us, we want to form close and intimate relationships, and we feel sad when these relationships end. Close relationships can also have a number of psychological as well as physical benefits; people in a close relationship are happier and even live longer than those who aren’t.

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  Interpersonal Relationships

  • Diana Jackson-Dwyer(Author)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  3 Determinants of Interpersonal Attraction What this chapter will teach you •  The main factors that determine with whom we make friends and form romantic relationships. •  Why each of these factors is important. •  Whether opposites attract or birds of a feather flock together. •  Whether the internet has changed the way in which relationships are formed. In our everyday lives we meet a multitude of people but only form lasting relationships with a few. On what basis do we choose our friends and romantic partners? In this chapter, we consider research findings into the factors that help determine the onset of friendship or romance and the reasons why these factors may be influential. Proximity Proximity is a powerful force in Interpersonal Attraction; indeed probably the best predictor of whether two people will become friends is how far apart they are. Because of where people live, sit in a classroom or earn a living they have close contact with particular people, and it is this physical arrangement that is hugely influential in determining friendship patterns. In a classic study, Festinger et al. (1950) observed the friendships that formed in a block of apartments for married students consisting of seventeen separate buildings, each comprising ten flats on two floors. More than ten times as many friendships formed between students who shared the same building than between students in different ones. Within the same building, friendships were far more likely between people who lived on the same floor than between those on different floors. It was not only physical distance that made a difference: the most popular people were those who had apartments nearest the staircases and postboxes. This indicates that the functional distance, that is, the likelihood of two people coming into contact, is also very influential. In fact, as this study demonstrates, architectural features can significantly affect the likelihood that people will make friends

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  Social Psychology

  • Jeffrey H Goldstein(Author)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Academic Press

    (Publisher)

  Along the way we will discuss • 186 Interpersonal Attraction: STRANGERS, FRIENDS, AND LOVERS friendship and liking, make several side trips to affiliation and other emotions, and attempt to demystify some of love's mysteries. I should caution you not to expect too much from psychologists as your guides on this journey. There will be plenty of mysteries left when this excursion has ended. As the eminent psychologist Harry Harlow once remarked, So far as love is concerned, psychologists have failed in their mission. The little we know about love does not transcend simple observation, and the little we write about it has been written better by poets and novelists (1958, p. 673). I have no quarrel with Harlow's statement about the quality of the writing, but I believe that psychologists know more about love and attraction than we once did, and that not all of what we have learned is common sense. The study of liking and loving is not merely an academic exercise. Only a few years ago there was one divorce for every three marriages in the United States; as I write this, the figure is closer to one divorce for every two marriages. If psychologists do not know very much about love, it is clear that the rest of the population doesn't either. LEVELS OF ATTRACTION Just as the college student quoted by Burgess and Wallin perceives love as a process occurring over time, our approach in this chapter will be to view love as a state reached only after earlier stages of attraction have been transcended. In general, the view taken here is adapted from the work of George Levinger (Huston & Levinger, 1978; Levinger, 1974; Levinger & Snoek, 1972; see also the interview with George Levinger, this chapter). Attraction between two people, P and O, can range from no awareness of each other to a deep, mutual response (see Figure 6.1). Between these two extremes lie states of awareness of the other, surface contact with minimal attraction, and varying degrees of mutual concern.

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  Evolutionary Social Psychology

  • Jeffry A. Simpson, Douglas Kenrick(Authors)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Psychology Press

    (Publisher)

  The shift in focus in recent evolutionary psychology is more than a change from distal to proximal. It is a blueprint for a new pattern of alliances between evolutionary theory and the cognitive sciences. According to Cosmides and Tooby (1987), proximate mediating mechanisms for behavior are “most closely allied with the cognitive level of explanation than with any other level of proximate causation. This is because the cognitive level seeks to specify a psychological mechanism’s function, and natural selection is a theory of function” (p. 284).

  If we accept the admittedly controversial distinction between the sociobiological approach and the evolutionary approach, then we can discuss the corresponding differences in conceptualizations of human Interpersonal Attraction. Sociobiological theory appears to bypass (or at least underplay) the role of psychological mediation, implicitly making proximal processes of attraction noncausal effect variables. Beyond the theoretical difficulties (Buss, 1995), the classical sociobiological approach appears to overlook proximal variables such as perceived physical attractiveness, perceived probability of rejection, and the availability of other options (e.g., Clalt ) all systematically affect Interpersonal Attraction. The bulk of research by psychologists on Interpersonal Attraction uses a quasi-Lewinian phenomenological framework in which cognition sits near the center of the stage (Berscheid & Walster, 1978; Kelley, 1980; Rusbult, Verette, Whitney, Slovik, & Lipkus, 1991). This is not to say that the attraction literature does not contain motivational accounts (Berscheid & Graziano, 1979; Cunningham et al., chapter 5 , this volume; Graziano, Jensen-Campbell, & Hair, 1996; Simpson, Gangestad, & Lerma, 1990), but that these accounts usually focus on motivational effects on cognitive aspects of attraction. Building links to sociobiology from Interpersonal Attraction would be a much more difficult task than building links to evolutionary psychology.

  It is theoretically possible, of course, that these proximal variables are noncausal by-products of the more basic, distal evolutionary mechanisms, just as it is possible that cognition is an epiphenomenon of other more basic biobehavioral processes. We could fight this metatheoretical “existence fight,” or we could concentrate on evaluating more testable propositions about links among different kinds of variables from evolutionary psychology. If propositions are not yet available, then we could amend applicable evolutionary theories to add the missing proximal psychological mechanisms, testing to see what functions (if any) the mechanism might play in mate choice. That is, we can check directly to see how well the more distal predictor acts with a proximal attraction mediator in place (Baron & Kenny, 1986). Incidentally, with some conspicuous exceptions (Kenrick, Groth, Trost, & Sadalla, 1993) evolution-oriented writing about human mate selection is often poorly informed about relevant empirical findings from the psychology-based, human Interpersonal Attraction literature. Evolutionary accounts of human mate selection will be less comprehensive than they aspire to be if they do not accommodate themselves to the attraction literature and coordinate themselves with evolutionary variables and mechanisms.

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  Foundations of Interpersonal Attraction

  • Ted L. Huston(Author)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Academic Press

    (Publisher)

  Personal Characteristics and Attraction 87 A. Physical Characteristics 87 B. Competence 88 C. Similarity 88 D. Familiarity 89 VI. Ceremonies and Ritual in Commitment Building 90 VII. Long-Term Development of a Relationship 91 A. Adjustment Devices 91 B. Seven-Year Itch, Adultery, and Children 92 VIII. Conclusion 93 References 94 I. Introduction Cross-cultural research illuminates many different areas in the study of interper-sonal attraction. Ideally, cross-cultural research of relevance would be cited in each chapter of this volume, and there would be little need for a separate cross-cultural chapter. But cross-cultural research is not well integrated into the mainstream of attraction research. This weak integration is unfortunate, because for many of us the goal of the social sciences is to illuminate and explain panhuman phenomena. The curse of the cross-cultural chapter in a volume devoted to a multifocused topic such 79 80 Paul C. Rosenblatt as attraction is that it must either be multifocused and noncohesive or it must be monofocused and exclude much material of value. This chapter represents a choice of the former route—multiple foci and weak cohesion. The social psychology and sociology of Interpersonal Attraction commonly taught in the United States may be merely an ethnographic description of one nonrepre-sentative human culture, the United States white middle class, ages 17—23, who have never been married. Even the great interest of Americans in attraction may be deviant from most cultures. A cross-cultural perspective on attraction can give us a better sense of what has been happening to us in this culture, a better sense of what is basically human, and a feeling for the ethnographic element in many of the research findings and theories dealing with attraction in the United States. Knowl-edge of our own society alone might leave us blind to many aspects of Interpersonal Attraction.

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  The Social Influence Processes

  • James T. Tedeschi(Author)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Journal of Abnormal Social Psychology, 1951, 46, 9–24.

  Backman, C. W., & Secord, P. F. The effect of perceived liking on Interpersonal Attraction. Human Relations, 1959, 12, 379–384.

  Berkowitz, L. Aggression: a social psychological analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.

  Berscheid, E. Opinion change and communicator-communicatee similarity and dissimilarity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1966, 4, 670–680.

  Berscheid, E., Boye, D., & Darley, J. M. Effects of forced association upon voluntary choice to associate. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1968, 8, 13–19.

  Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. Interpersonal Attraction. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1969.

  Blau, P. N. Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley, 1967.

  Bossard, J. H. S. Residential propinquity as a factor in mate selection. American Journal of Sociology, 1932, 38, 219–224.

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  Brehm, J. W., Gatz, M., Goethals, G., McCrimmon, J., & Ward, L. Psychological arousal and Interpersonal Attraction . Mimeographed paper, available from authors, 1970.

  Brock, T. C., & Buss, A. H. Dissonance, aggression and evaluation of pain. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1962, 65, 192–202.

  Brock, T. C., & Buss, A. H. Effects of justification for aggression in communication with the victim on post-aggression dissonance. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1964, 68, 403–412.

  Byrne, D. Interpersonal Attraction and attitude similarity. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1961, 62, 713–715.

  Byrne, D., & Buehler, J. A. A note on the influence of propinquity upon acquaintanceships. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1955, 51, 147–148.

  Byrne, D., London, A., & Reeves, K. The effect of physical attractiveness, sex and attitude similarity on Interpersonal Attraction. Journal of Personality,

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