Reltionships : Social Exhange Theory

Question 1

Social Exchange Theory

Answer 1

Social exchange theory is a theory of romantic relationships that proposes that individuals initiate and maintain relationships that minimise costs (e.g. effort, time, financial investment) and maximise rewards (e.g. companionship, sex, being cared for). According to social exchange theory, humans are self-centred and not concerned with equality.

Question 2

What is economic theory of relationships?

Answer 2

Social exchange theory is one of the so-called ‘economic’ theories of relationships. Economic theories describe relationships as a series of exchanges aiming at balancing rewards and costs.

Question 3

Who is Thibault and Kelly (1959)

Answer 3

Social psychologists Thibault and Kelly (1959) describe romantic relationships using the economic terminology of profit (rewards) and
loss (costs). They claim that partners in relationships strive to maximise rewards (things like companionship, praise, emotional support, sex) and minimise costs (stress, arguments, compromises, Time commitments). Notions of
rewards and costs are subjective (what is considered very costly by one person, can be seen as low cost or even a reward by another); costs also tend to change over time (what is considered costly at the beginning of the relationships seems less so as relationships develop).

Question 4

What is comparison level?

Answer 4

• The first level, called Comparison Level (CL), is based on person’s idea of how much reward they deserve to receive in relationships. This understanding is subjective and depends on previous romantic experiences and cultural norms of what is appropriate to expect from relationships; these norms are reinforced by books, films and TV programmes.

-Comparison Levels are closely linked to person’s self-esteem – a person with high self-esteem will have higher expectations of rewards in relationships, whereas a person with low self-esteem will have lower expectations. People consider relationships worth pursuing if the Comparison Level is equal to, or beJer than, what they experienced in their previous relationships.

Question 5

What is Comparison level for Alternatives?

Answer 5

The second level, called Comparison Level for alternatives (CLalt), concerns a person’s perception of whether other potential relationships (or staying on their own) would be more rewarding than being in their current relationship. According to Social Exchange Theory, people will stick to their current relationships as long as they find them more profitable than the alternatives. Furthermore, according to some psychologists, such as Duck, if people consider themselves to be content in their current relationships, they may not even notice that there are available alternatives.

Question 6

According to Thibault and Kelly, all relationships proceed through a series of stages called?

Answer 6

• Sampling
• Bargaining
• commitment
• Institutionalisation

Question 7

What is sampling stage?

Answer 7

Sampling stage, where people explore poten4al rewards and costs of relationships, not just romantic ones, either by direct experience or by observing others.

Question 8

What is the bargaining stage?

Answer 8

Bargaining stage, which is the first stage of any romantic relationship. At this stage, partners exchange rewards and costs, figure out the most profitable exchanges and negotiate the dynamics of the relationship.

Question 9

What is commitment stage?

Answer 9

Commitment stage: when relationships become more stable, and partners become familiar with sources of rewards and costs, and each other’s expectations, so rewards increase and costs lessen.

Question 10

What is institutionalisation?

Answer 10

Institutionalisation stage, when costs and rewards are firmly established.

Question 11

Research supporting the Social Exchange Theory?

Answer 11

• Research support for Social Exchange Theory is limited; however, some studies show evidence that supports the main assumptions of the theory. - For example, Floyd et al. (1994) found that commitment develops when couples are satisfied with, and feel rewarded in, a relationship and when they perceive that equally attractive or more attractive alternatives relationships are unavailable to them.
• In addition , Sprecher (2001) found that comparison levels for alternatives were a strong predictor of commitment in a relationship and that rewards were important as a predictor of satisfaction , especially for women.

Question 12

What are two ways to measure profit in a relationship comparison level?

Answer 12

• The amount of reward an individual believes they deserve to get
• Forms from previous experiences of relationships, leading to the expectations of the current one
• Social norms also dictate what constitutes a reward
• Individuals with a low self-esteem will have low comparison levels and therefore will be satisified with gaining small profits or even losses from a relationship
• Individuals with high self-esteem will decide that they deserve a lot more

Question 13

Two Ways to Measure Profit in a Relationship – Comparison Levels for Alternatives (CLat)?

Answer 13

• Provides a wider context for current relationships
• Could we gain greater rewards and lesser costs from a relationship or being single?
• SET states that we will only stay in our current relationship if we believe it is more rewarding than the alternative

Duck (1994)
• The Clat we adopt will depend on the state of our current relationship
• If the cost of our current relationship outweigh the rewards, then alternatives become more appealing

Question 14

Strengths of Social Exchange Theory

Answer 14

Hatfield (1979)
• Questioned newlyweds about their level of contentment in their marriage
• Found that the happiest people were those who felt that the marriage was equal for both partners in terms of costs and benefits
• This delves into Equity Theory

Question 15

Criticisms of the Research for Social Exchange Theory

Answer 15

Inappropriate Assumptions
• Clark and Mills (2011) – theory fails to distinguish between the two types of relationships
• Suggests that exchange relationships (business relationships) do involve social exchange
• Romantic relationships involve giving/receiving rewards without keeping a tally
• SET based on the assumption that there is constantly an even exchange of costs and rewards, and that the exchange is constantly monitored

Artificial Research
• Research surrounding SET is mainly artificial
• Example – game-playing scenario between two partners where the rewards and costs are distributed
• Partners do not know each other, they are only linked by the task at hand
• More realistic studies have not came to the same conclusions, and have not been very supportive of SET

Question 16

Criticisms of the Theory for Social Exchange Theory?

Answer 16

Cause and Effect
• SET predicts that dissatisfaction comes in when the costs outweigh the rewards
• Argyle (1987) – individuals do not measure costs or rewards in relationships, nor do they evaluate alternatives
• Miller (1997) – dissatisfaction comes first, people who rated themselves in a highly committed relationship spent less time looking at images of attractive people
• People in more committed relationships ignore more attractive alternatives – SET disregards this

Ignoring Equity
• The ratio of cost and reward in SET ignores fairness (equity)
• Tying into Equity Theory – there is more than just the balance of costs and rewards in a relationship
• SET cannot account for a significant proportion of research findings revolving around satisfaction in relationships