Ch6: Interdependency Flashcards
interdependency
- exists when we need others and they need us in order to obtain valuable interpersonal rewards
- “i need you and you need me”
social exchange theory
- we’re all seeking the most fulfilling relationships that are available to us
- relationships begin when two people offer each other rewards that entice them to begin social exchange in which they each provide benefits and rewards that the other wants
- mutual exchange of desirable rewards
- people want the BEST POSSIBLE outcomes
codependency
- extreme form of dependence
- unhealthy reliance on someone
- basing your happiness and functioning on someone else
- zero self-worth without them
- tends to be a learned behaviour
rewards of interactions
- the gratifying experiences and commodities we obtain through our contact with others
- can be:
1. impersonal benefits –> ex. directions you get from strangers when you’re lost
2. personal intimacies –> ex. acceptance and support from someone you love
rewards
anything within an interaction that is desirable and welcome and that brings enjoyment or fulfillment to the recipient
costs
punishing, undesirable experiences
outcome
- the net profit or loss a person encounters
- adds up all the rewards and costs involved
outcomes = rewards - costs
comparison level
- the value of the outcomes that we’ve come to expect and believe that we deserve in our dealings with others
- based on our past experiences
- represents someone’s neutral point on a continuum that ranges all the way from misery to delight
- CLs are the standards by which our satisfaction with a relationship is measured
how is satisfaction derived in close relationships
-satisfaction is based on how our outcomes are measured against our comparison levels
outcomes - CL = satisfaction or dissatisfaction
comparison level for alternatives
- determines whether we could be doing better somewhere else
- describes the outcomes you’d receive by leaving your current relationship and moving to the best alternative partnership or situation you have available
- CLalts are the lowest levels of outcomes we will tolerate from our present partners
- determines our dependence on our relationships
investments
- the things one would lose if the relationship were to end
- important influence on one’s decision to stay or go in a relationship
- can be tangible goods or psychological benefits
what factors influence a person’s CLalt
- self esteem -> if people don’t like themselves, they doubt their desirability
- access to information –> someone who stays at home may not know of their options
- satisfaction with existing partnerships lower CLalts because they’re not interested in looking to see how they could be doing elsewhere
how is dependence in a relationship measured
outcomes - CLalt = dependence or independence
three key elements of social exchange
- outcomes –> based on costs and rewards
- comparison levels –> determines satisfaction based on outcomes and CLs
- comparison levels for alternatives –> determines dependence based on outcomes and CLalts
four types of relationships
- happy and stable
- unhappy but stable
- happy but unstable
- unhappy and unstable
happy and stable relationship
current outcomes are higher than both CL and CLalt and doesn’t matter if CLalt is higher than CL or vice versa
unhappy but stable relationship
where the outcome is lower than CL but higher than CLalt
happy but unstable
where the outcome is higher than CL but lower than CLalt
unhappy and unstable
where the outcome is lower than both CL and CLalt and does not matter if CL is higher than CLalt or vice versa