L5 - social exchange theory

Question 1

who was SET proposed by

Answer 1

thibault and kelley

Question 2

what is SET

Answer 2

economic theory
romantic partners act out of self interest in exchanging rewards and costs
relationship will work is rewards exceed costs, and alternatives are less attractive than current rs

Question 3

2 ways that we measure profit

Answer 3

comparison level
comparison level for alternative

Question 4

what is comparison level

Answer 4

amount of reward you believe you deserve
old rs cause expectations of new ones
rs is worth pursuing if CL is high - based on self esteem
low self esteem - happy with small profit (or loss)
high self esteem - think they’re worth more so higher profit

Question 5

what is comparison level for alternative

Answer 5

how much profit you would gain elsewhere
if you’re better off alone or in a rs elsewhere then rs may not last

Question 6

what are the 4 stages of how SET relationships develop

Answer 6

sampling
bargaining
commitment
institutionalisation

Question 7

what is the sampling stage

Answer 7

explore rewards and costs
experiment in our own relationships and observe others

Question 8

what is the bargaining stage

Answer 8

marks beginning of relationship
start exchanging gifts and rewards
negotiate and identify what is most profitable

Question 9

what is the commitment stage

Answer 9

over time, sources of costs and rewards become more profitable
rs becomes more stable
rewards increase, costs are less

Question 10

what is the institutionalisation stage

Answer 10

partners are settled down due to rewards and costs being firmly established

Question 11

2 strengths of SET

Answer 11

• gottman - those in unsuccessful marriages report lack of positive behaviour exchanges and more negative exchanges, ratio of positive to negative exchanges is 5:1 in successful marriages, 1:1 in unsuccessful. shows rewards and costs are important
• integrated couples therapy - applies to those with rs problems. helps break negative patterns of behaviour, decreases negative exchanges, increasing positive exchanges. helps for reconciliation and maximise rewards and descrease costs.

Question 12

2 weaknesses of SET

Answer 12

• argyle - people only monitor in terms of rewards and costs once rs is dissatisfying. duck agrees and says we only compare when dissatisfied not when happy and when rs is successful
• research by little john - difficult to define what is a reward and what is a cost, differs for each person. one cost could be a reward to someone else e.g. children. SET needs to carefully examine how people view and think about rewards/costs