Economic theories Flashcards
What is the social exchange theory
Mutually benefiting relationship
Uses concepts from economics and operant conditioning
We form a relationship if it is rewarding
i like a certain type of reward…collilingus if uk uk
We attempt to maximise our rewards nd minimise our costs
Rewards minus the costs equals the outcome
We commit to the relationship if the outcome is profitable
REWARDS-COST=OUTCOME
What does social exchange theory suggest about rewards, costs and profits
Assumes people try to maximise the rewards they obtain from a relationship and minimise the costs
Exchange comes from the assumption that when people receive rewards from others they feel obliged to reciprocate
Rewards and costs are subjective, therefore there is a wide variety of outcomes and these rewards and costs can lose or increase their value as the relationship progresses
Name some rewards part of social exchange theory
Companionship
Sex
Praise
Emotional support
Name some costs part of social exchange theory
Missed opportunities
Time
Stress
Money
What id Blau 1964 suggest about economy in relationships
Relationships can be expensive - time, cost, energy, stress
agreed, tis not worth it
Opportunity cost can be incurred
Time and energy invested in your relationship means using resources you cannot invest elsewhere
What is comparison level (CL)
Amount of reward you believe you deserve to get
Based on experiences in previous relationships which feeds into the expectations of our current one
Influenced by social norms - determined within a culture, a reasonable level of reward
CL changes as we acquire more data from experiences
What is comparison level for alternative (CLalt)
In your current relationship, you consider
‘Could I gain greater rewards and fewer costs from another relationship or being on my own?’
‘Could I do better?’
SET predicts that we will stay in our current relationship, only as long as we believe it is more rewarding than the alternative
Duck 1994 says there are plenty more fish in the sea
What are the 4 stages of development
Sampling
Bargaining
Commitment
Insitutionalisation
What is sampling as a relationship stage
We consider the potential rewards and costs of a relationship and compare it with other relationships available at the time
We do this in non-romantic relationships as well
What is bargaining as a relationship stage
We give and receive rewards to test whether a deeper relationship is worthwhile
Negotiate what is most profitable
What is commitment as a relationship stage
The relationship increases in predictability so each partner knows how to elicit rewards from the other, which lower costs
What is institutionalisation as a relationship stage
The relationship norms are developed which establishes the patterns of rewards and costs for each partner
How is inappropriate assumptions that underly SET a -ve evaluation
Clark and Mills 2011
Argue SET fails to distinguish between 2 types of relationships
They suggest that exchange relationships such as between work colleagues, does involve social exchange as the SET predicts
Communal relationships don’t keep tabs on rewards and costs
SET claims that reciprocal activities are monitored and weighed up
What is a -ve evaluation of SET involving direction of cause and effect
Argyle (1987) argues that we do not measure costs and rewards in a relationship, nor do we constantly consider the attractiveness of alternatives
Dissatisfaction comes first
Miller (1997) found people who rated themselves as being a highly committed relationship spent less time looking at images of attractive people. Less time spent looking was a predictor of the relationship continuing 2 months later
