class 4:Equity Theory Flashcards
Equity Theory
John Stacy Adams
(1963)
equity theory
is the idea that relationship will only be sucessful if both sides of the relationship puts equal amount of effort
if one side puts more the other side it will be unfair= unhappy relationship
Two Principles to Consider
The more a person contributes to a
relationships, the more they should profit from
it —–> The profit a person can get out a
relationships varies
When a partnership
is inequitable:
one partner is
receiving too much,
and is said to be
over-benefited
the other partner is
receiving too little
and is said to be
under-benefited
equity theory
comes with the concept of fairness if unfair it will bring distress
Dealing with
Distress
A person will try to alleviate
distress in 3 ways:
- restore actual equity(put in more,put in less)
- restore psychological equity(try to reason that is actually is fair)-
- leave the relationship
Predictions for
Romantic
Relationships
- Mis-matched relationships
are unhappy
o matching hypothesis
If you hold lower social
value, you must work harder
so it becomes equal (equality theory)
Theoretical Propositions
- Individuals will try to maximize their outcomes (rewards
minus costs). - Groups will generally reward members who treat others
equally and generally punish (increase costs) members who treat others inequitably.-friends will intervine - When individuals find themselves participating in inequitable relationships, they will become distressed. The more inequitable the relationship, the more distress individuals will feel.(does not mater if it is the over or under benefiter)
- Individuals who discover they are in an inequitable
relationship will attempt to eliminate their distress by
restoring equity. The greater the inequity that exists, the
more distress they will feel, and the harder they will try to
restore equity.
