social exchange theory

Question 1

define the social exchange theory

Answer 1

the likelihood of a person staying in a relationship is determined by the assessment of what they out out of the relationship compared to what they put in and how it measures to what they expected and what they may gain in a different relationship

Question 2

what does the SET assume

Answer 2

that all social behaviour is a series of exchanges- individuals attempt to maximise their rewards and minimise their costs in order to gain profit

Question 3

give some examples of benefits and costs within a relationship

Answer 3

1) benefits= companionship and being cared for

2) costs= effort, financial investment

Question 4

outline what the SET means by profits and losses

Answer 4

it stresses that commitment to a relationship is dependant on the profitability of the outcome, if costs outweigh benefits then no profit will be made and the relationship will breakdown

Question 5

define a comparison level

Answer 5

a standard against which all our relationships are judged and is a product of our experiences in other relationships together with our general views of what we might expect for a certain exchange.

Question 6

how is a comparison level formed

Answer 6

• someone who has an unpleasant or unsatisfying relationship may have a low comparison levels as their standards to what a relationship is are low and as a result may be happy in a relatively poor relationship vs a high comparison level which causes high expectations for the quality of future relationships so are likely to exit relationships which don’t meet these expectations

Question 7

how does the comparison level influence our choices

Answer 7

if we judge that there is potential for a new relationship to exceed CL then a person may be seen as more attractive if the profit is less than the CL then the relationship will be seen as less worthwhile and the individual less attractive

Question 8

define a comparison level for alternatives

Answer 8

where a person weighs up a potential increase in rewards from a different partner, minus any costs associated with ending the current relationship. If the profit is greater in a new relationship the old one will end

Question 9

outline how a comparison level of alternatives affects dependence in a relationship

Answer 9

• the more rewarding a partners alternatives the less is that individual’s dependence in a relationship.
• partners who differ in their degree of dependence may experience distress as one or both of them lacks commitment in the relationship

Question 10

evaluate the social exchange theory

Answer 10

1) supporting = evidence for influences of comparison levels , a longitudinal study of 101 dating couples showed when a the comparison level for alternatives was high, commitment to and satisfaction with the current relationships tended to be low for both males and females- supports that those lacking alternatives are likely to remain committed in a relationship and devalue alternatives
2) issue and debate= free will and determinism- takes a deterministic view on relationships, if costs outweigh the rewards, a person will opt out of the relationship, however there are many cases where people stay in high cost relationships without feeling dissatisfied> Therefore the explanation is limited as it fails to consider the view of free will.

3) practical application= allowed the development of therapies such as integrated behavioural couple therapies which attempts to increase the proportion of positive exchanges and decrease negative ones helping partners to break negative patterns causing decreased profits- supported by research finding 2/3 of couples reporting improvements in the quality of relationships
4) research methods- longitudinal study, increased ecological validity from real life applications