social exchange theory Flashcards
a theory of romantic relationships
who proposed SET
thibault and kelly
what does SET claim
behaviour in relationships reflects economic assumptions of exchange
we minimise losses and maximise gains
judging our satisfaction in a relationship in terms of the profit it yeilds defined as rewards minus costs
what is the minimax principle
minimise losses and maximise gains
rewards and costs are ………. as there is a … range of ……..
subjective
very wide range of possible outcomes
examples of rewards
companionship, sex, emotional support, gifts
what is an opportunity cost
when you investment of time and energy into your current relationship means using resources that you cannot invest elsewhere, negative and unpleasant emotions
examples of costs
arguements
disagreements
eg over house/kids/pruchases etc
what are the 2 ways we can measure profit
comparison level and comparison level for alternatives
what is the comparison level
the amount of reward you believe you should get
what does the comparison level develop from
past romantic relationships
social norms (what is considered, within a culture, to be a reasonable level of reward eg tpes of gifts
observing and experiencing other relationships eg parents relationship, eg relationship with your parents. these influence your perspective of the standard eg if their relationship was abusive you might expect that type of behaviour
as we acquire more data (which is what) what happens to our cl and how can that influence our opinion of a relationship
data is experiences of relationships/social norms
cl changes as we get more data
when it is high we consider a relationship worth pursuing
how can self esteem impact cl
low se=low cl wmt will be satisfied from gaining a small profit/even a loss from a relationship
high se=high cl wmt they believe they are worth a lot more.
what makes profitability difficult to measure
because it determined by rewards and costs they are subjective and change over time
whether we are satisfied with the so called “profit” is determined by what we have come to ….
expect from previous relationships and what kind of profit we could expect if we formed a relationship with someone else
what is the comparison level for alternatives
when you begin to look for alternatives because you begin to believe that you could gain greater rewards and fewer costs from another relationship/being single
what could trigger the comparison level for alternatives
when something starts to go wrong in the current relationship
too many costs
a big argument
SET predicts that we will stay in our current relationship only so long as we believe it is more….
rewarding than the alternatives
what did Duck say about the comparison level for alternatives
the the CLalt we adopt will depend on the state of our current relationship
if the costs outweigh the rewards then alternatives may become more attractive
what are the 4 stages of relationship development
sampling
bargaining
commitment
institutionalisation
what happens in the sampling stage of relationship development
we explore the rewards and costs of SE by experimenting with them in our own relationships- not just romantic- or by observing others doing so
what happens in the bargaining stage of relationship development
beginning of a relationship when romantic partners starts exchanging rewards and costs, negotiating and identifying whats most profitable
what happens in the commitment stage of relationship development
as time increases sources of rewards and costs become more predictable and the relationship becomes more stable as rewards increase and costs lessen
what happens in the institutionalisation stage of relationship development
the partners are now settled down because the norms of the relationship, in terms of rewards and costs, are firmly established
