Social Exchange Theory

Question 1

What is the key statement of this theory

Answer 1

That people constantly haggle and negotiate in relationships for the best deal and that we form and maintain relationships because the rewards outweigh the costs

Question 2

What are the four key terms

Answer 2

Reward
Cost
Outcome
Comparison

Question 3

What are the rewards of a relationship

Answer 3

Companionship, social support, money and fun

Question 4

What are the costs of a relationship

Answer 4

Long distance, annoying habits, effort, time and missed potential partners

Question 5

How does a person know if they are in a good relationship

Answer 5

They judge their relationship against a comparison level which they form based off of past relationships and experiences

Question 6

Who proposed that everyone has a individual comparison level

Answer 6

Thibaut and Kelley in 1959

Question 7

What is the comparison linked to

Answer 7

Self esteem

A high self esteem will influence your comparison to be high

A low self esteem will influence your comparison level to be high

Question 8

What is a example of a factor that may influence your comparison level

Answer 8

If your parents were violent with each other then you may see violence as more acceptable in a relationship

Question 9

What is the alternative comparison level

Answer 9

Everyone has a alternative comparison level which is the amount of rewards and costs they’re likely to obtain in a new relationship.

Question 10

What did thibaut and kelley say we do even when in a relationship

Answer 10

We look to society to check out alternatives

Question 11

What are the three comparisons of happy relationships

Answer 11

CL>ACL happy relationship

CL=ACL less stable but not unhappy

ACL>CL unhappy relationship

Question 12

What are the four stages in SET

Answer 12

Sampling stage

Bargaining stage

Commitment stage

Institutionalisation stage

Question 13

What is the sampling stage

Answer 13

Exploration of potential rewards and costs by experience or observation of others

Question 14

What is the bargaining stage

Answer 14

First stage in a romantic relationship where partners exchange rewards and costs to figure out the most profitable exchanges and negotiates the dynamics

Question 15

What is the commitment stage

Answer 15

Becomes more stable and partners become familiar with the rewards and costs and expectations so rewards increase and costs lessen while attraction increases

Question 16

What is the institutionalisation stage

Answer 16

When costs and rewards are firmly established

Question 17

What evidence is there

Answer 17

Floyd et al in 1994 found that commitment develops when couples are satisfied and feel rewarded by the relationship

Sprecher in 2001 found that comparison levels for alternatives were a strong predictor of satisfaction especially with women

Question 18

What are the strengths

Answer 18

It is supported my studies such as Sprecher and Floyd et al which concluded that some people base their evaluation of relationships on rewards and costs

The theory has real life applications such as integrated behavioural couples therapy where partners are trained to increase rewards they give the other and reduce the costs

Question 19

What are the weaknesses

Answer 19

Research evidence is limited

Much of the available evidence is not true to how romantic relationships are in the real world as they are based upon procedures involving game based scenarios with rewards and costs

The concepts are difficult define such as how to operationalise commitment and if they are difficult to define they are difficult to measure making them unscientific

Theory assumes that partners keep a list of scores and rewards which is unrealistic

Other research shows that it is not based on rewards and costs rather it is based on fairness (Clark and Mills in 2011)