social exchange theory

Question 1

who proposed SET

Answer 1

thibault and kelly

Question 2

what does SET claim

Answer 2

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

Question 3

what is the minimax principle

Answer 3

minimise losses and maximise gains

Question 4

rewards and costs are ………. as there is a … range of ……..

Answer 4

subjective
very wide range of possible outcomes

Question 5

examples of rewards

Answer 5

companionship, sex, emotional support, gifts

Question 6

what is an opportunity cost

Answer 6

when you investment of time and energy into your current relationship means using resources that you cannot invest elsewhere, negative and unpleasant emotions

Question 7

examples of costs

Answer 7

arguements
disagreements
eg over house/kids/pruchases etc

Question 8

what are the 2 ways we can measure profit

Answer 8

comparison level and comparison level for alternatives

Question 9

what is the comparison level

Answer 9

the amount of reward you believe you should get

Question 10

what does the comparison level develop from

Answer 10

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

Question 11

as we acquire more data (which is what) what happens to our cl and how can that influence our opinion of a relationship

Answer 11

data is experiences of relationships/social norms

cl changes as we get more data

when it is high we consider a relationship worth pursuing

Question 12

how can self esteem impact cl

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

what makes profitability difficult to measure

Answer 13

because it determined by rewards and costs they are subjective and change over time

Question 14

whether we are satisfied with the so called “profit” is determined by what we have come to ….

Answer 14

expect from previous relationships and what kind of profit we could expect if we formed a relationship with someone else

Question 15

what is the comparison level for alternatives

Answer 15

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

Question 16

what could trigger the comparison level for alternatives

Answer 16

when something starts to go wrong in the current relationship

too many costs

a big argument

Question 17

SET predicts that we will stay in our current relationship only so long as we believe it is more….

Answer 17

rewarding than the alternatives

Question 18

what did Duck say about the comparison level for alternatives

Answer 18

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

Question 19

what are the 4 stages of relationship development

Answer 19

sampling
bargaining
commitment
institutionalisation

Question 20

what happens in the sampling stage of relationship development

Answer 20

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

Question 21

what happens in the bargaining stage of relationship development

Answer 21

beginning of a relationship when romantic partners starts exchanging rewards and costs, negotiating and identifying whats most profitable

Question 22

what happens in the commitment stage of relationship development

Answer 22

as time increases sources of rewards and costs become more predictable and the relationship becomes more stable as rewards increase and costs lessen

Question 23

what happens in the institutionalisation stage of relationship development

Answer 23

the partners are now settled down because the norms of the relationship, in terms of rewards and costs, are firmly established