Social Congintion 2 - Interpersonal Attraction

Social Congintion 2 - Interpersonal Attraction ("PSYCHOLOGY" by Ciccarelli, et al., 2005)



Interpersonal attraction, such as liking and loving, is very important elements that influenced on a person's behavior.

• The Rules of Attraction
• Robert Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love
• Aggression
• The Power of Social Roles
• Prosocial Behavior

1. The Rules of Attraction

1) Physical Attractiveness:

When a person see the other person at the first time, physical appearance is one of the main factors that he/she makes a relationship with the other ( Eagly et al., 1991; Feingold, 1992; White,1980).

2) Proximity

The proximity refers to a person's physical closeness and repeated exposure to the other person.

3) Similarity

The physical atrractiveness and proximity don't guarantee to keep a lone-term relationship. The similarity, however, can more make sense of a long-term relationship when a person and other people share the similiar or same attitudes and thoughts, which is called the similarity.

4) Complementary attractiveness

When a person feels a complementary emotion to the opposite people, he feels the attractiveness.

5) Reciprocity

The reciprocity is very powerful way when a person feel the attract with the other people (Curtis & Miller, 1986).

For examples, the other person feels the attraction to a person, he make the person friendly. His friendly behavior influences on the person behavior. The person is getting him friendly. However, if the person has a low self-esteem, he is supposed to doubt the other person's motives and then is getting the other person unfriendly. This reciprocity influences on interpersonal relationship (Murray, et al., 1998).

2. Robert Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

Fig. 1 ( retrieved from Wikipedia, Feb 11, 08)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Triangular_Theory_of_Love.gif

According to Sternberg (1986, 1988, 1997), there're three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment.

• Intimacy


• Passion


• Commitment
  

1) Intimacy

When a person meets with the other people and feels attract to the other for the first time, he wants to make the closeness with him.

2) Passion

Passion is the physical aspect of love. However, Passion is not simply sex; holding hands, loving looks and hugs can all be forms of passion.

3) Commitment

Commitment is the decisions one makes a relation for a long time such as a marriage.

2-1. The Love Triangles

Sternberg said "Love combined at least two of love components is maintaining longer and stronger than love based on one of love components."

1) Romantic Love

When the intimacy and passion are combined together, that is called romantic love.

2) Compaionate Love

When the intimacy and commitment are combined together, that is called companionate love.

3) Fatuous Love

When the passion and commitment are combined together, that is called fatuous love.

• Consummate Love: When all the love components are combined together, that is called consummate love: Intimacy + Passion + Commitment.
• In the western culture, when a person fall in love, he begins the intimacy, liking, becomes the romantic love and then the commitment is added to maintain a relationship longer: Liking -> physical touch including a sex -> marriage.