equity theory Flashcards
what type of theory is equity theory
an economic theory
why was it developed
in response to the social exchange theory which fails to consider most people want balance rather than profit in a relationship
equity theory is an extension of social exchange theory
in that it considers the distribution of rewards and costs and the perceived sense of fairness
what are the two types of dissatisfaction
feeling over benefited or under benefited
if people feel over benefited
they may experience pity, guilt and shame
if people feel under benefited
they may experience anger, sadness and resentment
the greater the inequity
the greater the dissatisfaction and stress and the more motivated they are to do something about it
what are the three ways to restore equity in a relationship
- restoration of actual equity
- restoration of psychological equity
- leaving the relationship
restoration of actual equity
restoring equity by voluntarily setting things right or urging their partner to do so
restoration of psychological equity
couples in inequitable relationships can distort reality and convince themselves that things are perfectly fair just the way they are
leaving the relationship
if couples are unable to restore equity in their relationship they can leave it
- physically by divorce
- emotionally by no longer have feelings for their partner
a strength of equity theory is that there is supporting evidence
- stafford and canary asked over 200 married couples to complete questionaires measuring equity and relationship satisfaction
- each spouse was asked questions about their use of relationship maintenance strategies such assurances, sharing tasks and positivity
- satisfaction was highest for spouses who perceived their relationship to be equitable followed by over benefited then under benefited
- spouses who were treated equitably tended to be happier and so were more likely to engage in behaviours that contributed to their spouses sense of equity and happiness
- this is a strength because perceived equity is an important determinant of marital satisfaction
- therefore this supporting evidence adds validity to the theory
a limitation of equity theory is that there are individual differences
the theory of a fair distribution of rewards and costs is too simplistic and not necessarily an important feature in all romantic relationship
- not everyone experiences the same level of tension when they perceive inequitable relationships
- huseman identified 3 categories of individuals: benevolents, equity sensitives and entitleds.
- benevolents : are givers and tend to be more tolerant of under rewarded inequity
- equity sensitives behave in accordance with equity theory
- entitleds prefer to be over rewarded having the attitude that they are owed and are entitled to receive benefits
-equity sensitivity determines the extent to which an individual will tolerate inequity - this is a limitation as this demonstrates that there are important individual differences in the impact of inequitable relationships
- therefore this research challenges the assumptions made by equity theory and weakens the validity
a limitation of equity theory is that there is cultural bias
- equity may not as important in non western cultures given that most research has been carried out in the US and in western europe
- aumer-ryan found that there are cultural differences in the link between equity and satisfaction
- couples from an individualist culture consider their relationships to be the most satisfying when the relationship was equitable
- whereas partners in a collectivist culture were most satisfied when they were over benefiting
- this was true for both men and women so cant be explained by gender differences
- this is a limitation as it suggests that the theory is limited as it only applies to some cultures
- therefore this means that equity theory is limited because it is not a universally valid theory of relationships
- it has been proposed by a western researcher and therefore may be ethnocentric
a limitation of equity theory is that it is unclear the direction of causation
did the lack of equity lead to dissatisfaction or did dissatisfaction lead to the identification of inequity
- there is some research to suggest that a lack of equity leads to dissatisfaction but other research shows the opposite direction of cause and effect
- grote and clark argue that as soon as partners start monitoring each others contributions, this is a sign of dissatisfaction
- once dissatisfaction sets in, partners notice inequities and become even more dissatisfied - a cycle of misery
- this is a limitation as the direction of causality may be wrong
- therefore equity theory itself might not be valid
