social exchange theory. Flashcards
who proposed the social exchange theory.
thibault and Kelley.
define the social exchange theory
a theory of how relationships form and develop. claiming that behaviour in relationships could be explained in terms of economics.
assumes that romantic partners act out of self interest in exchanging rewards and cost
what dose relationships reflect
the economic assumptions of exchange.
how is satisfaction judged
in terms of profit (the perceived value of costs minus the value of rewards).
what is the minimax principle.
Partners are motivated to minimise the costs to themselves whilst maximising rewards.
example of a reward
sex, praise or companionship.
example of a cost
loss of time or stress.
what is opportunity cost
the investment of time and energy in your current relationship that then means those resources cannot be used elsewhere.
who said relationships can be expensive.
Peter blau.
what are the two ways we measure profit in romantic relationships
comparison levels and comparison level for alt
what is comparison level
is a judgment of the reward level we believe we deserve in a relationship, determined by past relationship experiences and social norms.
what sort of relationship would a person with high self esteem look for
relationship where the CL is high
what are comparison levels influenced by.
social norms: books, films and tv.
what would someone with a low CL be satisfied with
a relationship with a small amount of gain-profit.
what is comparison level for alternatives
involves considering whether we might gain more rewards and endure fewer costs in a different relationship.
assuming that (as in most cultures) we can only select one partner.
what sort of questions are asked during the comparison level for alt.
‘could I do better.’
what dose social exchange theory say in realtion to the comparison level for alternatives
we will stay in a relationship along as we believe it is more rewarding than alternatives.
who is the relationship research for comparison level for alt
Steve Duck.
what did Duck (1991) say.
the Cat we adopt will depend on the state of our current relationship.
if the cost outweighs the reward then alternative options become more attractive.
But if we are in a satisfying relationship we may not even notice them.
what are the four stages of relationship development
sampling stage
bargaining stage
commitment stage
institutionalisation stage
what dose the sampling stage involve.
exploring rewards and costs by experimenting in relationships and observing others.
what dose the bargaining stage involve.
occurs at the start of a relationship
partners start exchanging various rewards and costs, negotiation and identifying what they believe is most profitable.
what dose the commitment stage involve
where relationships become more stable. Costs reduce and rewards increase.
what dose the institutionalisation stage involve.
when partners become settled because the norms of the relationship are established.
Strength of SET. (AO3)
research supporting some concepts- Kurdeck (1995)
interviewed homosexual and heterosexual couples.
what did Kurdeck find in his study. (AO3)
committed partners perceived they had most rewards and fewest costs and also viewed alternatives as unattractive.
also showed that the main SET concepts predicting commitment are independent of each other (so they individually have an effect)
Limitation of SET. (AO3)
issues with the direction of cause and effect - Argyle (1987)
we become dissatisfied after we perceive costs outweigh rewards or alternatives seem more attractive.
what did argyle find in his study (AO3)
argues dissatisfaction comes first, then we start to perceive costs and alternatives. When we are satisfied with a relationship and committed to it, we do not even notice alternatives.
Another limitation of SET (AO3)
concepts are vague and hard to quantify
