relationships-theory of romantic relationships Flashcards
what is social exchange theory
-describes romantic relationships using the economic terminology of profit
-it uses the minmax principle which is the idea that partners strive to maximise rewards and minimise costs
-notion of rewards and costs are subjective and changes as the relationship develops
how do we assess how profitable out relationship is
-using comparison levels
-using comparison levels for alternatives
what is CL (comparison level)
-used by partners to determine the extent to which they are profitting from the relationship
-CLs evolve based on a person’s experience of previous relationships
-Self-esteem plays a key role in CLs too: a person with high self-esteem will demand better rewards than a person with low self-esteem so the relationship is considered viable if the CL is better i.e. more profit, than past relationships
what is comparison levels for alternatives
Comparison levels for alternatives (CLalt) are used to determine whether or not a new, different relationship would bring more rewards (and by extension, profit) than the current relationship
what are the 4 stages of relationship development that SET proposes
sampling-the potential rewards and costs of all types of relationship, not just romantic relationships, are explored via direct personal experience or vicariously
barginining-this occurs early on in the relationship when each partner sets out what they expect and begins negotiations with their partner
commitment-individual devotes there attention to the relationship and costs and rewards become more predictable and relationship stabilises
institutionalisation-couple settles down and establishes mutuals norms and expectations
what are 2 pieces of supporting evidence for SET
-kurdek
-sprecher
what did kurdek find
asked homosexual and heterosexual couples to complete a questionare measuring relationship commitment. Found partners that where the most committed percieved more rewards and fewer costs and view alternatives as unattractive
-these findings match SET predictions
what did sprecher find
-as the availibility of alternative partners increased levels of commitement and satisfaction decreased.
Comparison levels for alternatives were a strong predictor of commitment in a relationship.
what is some apposing evidence for SET
clark and mills found that costs and rewards are only true of work interaction and not of romantic relationships.
this shows SET has poor explanatory power as it has unrealistic explanations of romantic relationships
opposing evidence for SET
-rewards and costs are subjective and cannot be applied to each couple
-too reductionist- humans are complec unpredictable creatures so it may be difficult to apply an abstract construct to them
what is equity theory
-economic model of relationships based on the idea of fairness for each partner
-each partner needs to experience a balance between there cost and there reward so both people in the relationship benefit
-equity is a subjective perception so this may lead to one person overbenefitting and the other person underbenefitting
-the overbenefitting partner may feel guilt and the underbenefitted partner may feel resentment
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what is some supporting evidence for equity theory
utne found in a survey of 118 married couples showed that perceived equity was a predictor of relationship satisfaction
this shows that equity is more important than equality in a relationship
what is some opposing evidence for equity theory
Equity theory is not universal: Aumer-Ryan found that individualistic cultures prefer an equitable relationship whereas collectivist cultures expressed a preference for overbenefitting (found in both men and women)
this shows that this theory is culturally biased
what are the 3 factors in Rusbults investment model
-satisfaction
-comparison with alternatives
-investments
describe satisfaction
the degree to which the other person meets the individuals demands
satisfaction occurs when each partner sees large profits
describe comparison with alternatives
the degree to which an individual needs could be met within al alternative relationship
if they could then commitment will be low
what is investment size
the amount and importance of resources associated with the relationship and if such resources would be lost or decline if the relationship were to end
describe intrinsic and extrinsic investements
intrinsic investements-things we put directly into the relationship
eg-energy, emotions
extrinsic investments-resources that didnt feature in the relationship and are now associated with it
eg-mutual friends, children
supporting evidence for rusbults investement model
le and agnew found in a meta-analysis of 52 studies comprising a total of 11,000 participants from 5 countries which concluded that satisfaction, CLalt and investment size all predicted commitment
supporting evidence for rusbults investment model
rusbult and malz found in there study of battered women that women where more likely to return to an abusive partner if they felt they had invested in the relationship and didnt have any better alternatives
so it provides a plausible explanation as to why people stay in abusive relationships.
extra A03 for rusbults investement model
-investement models give correlational data so you cant establish cause and effect
its reductionist and over-simplified-relationships are complex
what are the 4 stages of ducks model of relationship breakdown
- intrapsychic processes
- dyadic processes
- social processes
- grave-dressing processes
what is intrapsychic processes
a person admits to themselves that they are dissatisfied with the relationship
it consists of a partners internal thought processes before confronting there partner
what is the dyadic processes
the person confront there partner and voices there dissatisfaction
the partner initiating the breakup lists there complaints eg-the fact that they aren’t committed
they also rethink alternatives to there current relationship.
