relationships👩❤️💋👨 (equity theory) Flashcards
what does Walster 1978 say about equity in relationships?
what matters most is the equity between partners and that the amount of profit is the same
what happens is one partner profits more in the relationship than the other?
it causes dissatisfaction and unhappiness. the under benefitted partner is most likely going to feel greatest dissatisfaction, anger, hostility and humiliation
over benefitted parents may been guilty, discomfort and shame
what does the equity theory say about equality and equity?
its not the amount of rewards and costs that matters its the ration between the two. if one partner puts a lot into relationship and gets a lot out of it that seems fair. satisfying relationships are marked by negotiations to ensure equality. rewards of relationship are disputed fairly between the partners.
what r the consequences of inequality?
a partner who is subject to inequality will become distressed and dissatisfied if this continues long enough.
theory predicts strong correlation between distress levels and inequality-both for the under and over benefitting partner.
what happens as relationship continues?
level of perceived equality as time goes on causes dissatisfaction.
at the start of the relationship you may contribute more than you receive but if the relationship develops in this way you won’t feel as satisfied as in the early days.
how do ppl deal with inequity in relationship?
the more unfair relationship feels the harder they work to restore to restore equality.
partners may try to make a cognitive change. they will revise their perceptions of rewards and costs so that the relationship feels more equitable to them, even if nothing changes. what was seen as a cost earlier is not accepted as the norm
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what research support was found to support equity theory?
- utne carried out survey of 118 recently marries, measuring equity with 2 self-report scales. these partners were between 16-45 and have been together for more than 2 years before marriage.
- researchers found that those who considered relationship as equitable were more satisfied than those over/under benefitting.
- supports importance of equity as shows it increases satisfaction between couples, thus increasing its validity as explanation of romantic relationships
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why is individual differences a weakness for equity theory?
- not all partners are concerned about getting equity. Huseman et al suggests partners are described as benevolent, who are prepared to contribute more to the relationship than they receive, and are less sensitive about equity than others. some don’t feel guilty for over/ under benefitting.
- shows that equity is not as important in romantic relationships as theory suggests.
why do the cultural influences weaken the equity theory?
researchers found that there’s cultural differences between the link of equity and satisfaction. individualist cultures said they’re more satisfied when the relationship was equitable whereas collectivist culture said they were more satisfied from over benefitting. this was true for men and women
