Social exchange theory Flashcards
social exchange theory
a theory of how relationships form and develop. It assumes that romantic partners act out of self interest in exchanging rewards and costs. A satisfying and committed relationship is maintained when rewards exceed costs and potential alternatives are less attractive than the current relationship
who came up with the social exchange theory
John thibaut and harold kelly
what type of theory is it
economic theory
whats the minimax principle
increase of rewards decrease in costs
examples of rewards
sex, companionship, emotional support
examples of costs
time, stress, energy, compromise
comparison level
based on a persons idea of how much reward they believe they deserve in a relationship (subjective, cultural norms and previous relationships)
what is comparison level linked to
self esteem
comparison level for alternatives
‘could i do better’ in other potential relationships/not being in a relationship
sampling stage
exploring strengths and weaknesses of relationship by exploring/observing
bargaining stage
beginning of relationship
social exchange commences
commitment stage
strengths and weaknesses become predictable
rewards increase costs decrease
institutionalization stage
partners are settled
strengths and weaknesses are established
strengths of SET
research studies- research shows that partners who were most committed perceive more rewards and less costs. confirming validity of the theory
limitations of SET
vauge and hard to qualify, real world rewards and costs are subjective and harder to define.
theory is difficult to test in a valid way
