Social Exchange Theory Flashcards
What is the key statement of this theory
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
What are the four key terms
Reward
Cost
Outcome
Comparison
What are the rewards of a relationship
Companionship, social support, money and fun
What are the costs of a relationship
Long distance, annoying habits, effort, time and missed potential partners
How does a person know if they are in a good relationship
They judge their relationship against a comparison level which they form based off of past relationships and experiences
Who proposed that everyone has a individual comparison level
Thibaut and Kelley in 1959
What is the comparison linked to
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
What is a example of a factor that may influence your comparison level
If your parents were violent with each other then you may see violence as more acceptable in a relationship
What is the alternative comparison level
Everyone has a alternative comparison level which is the amount of rewards and costs they’re likely to obtain in a new relationship.
What did thibaut and kelley say we do even when in a relationship
We look to society to check out alternatives
What are the three comparisons of happy relationships
CL>ACL happy relationship
CL=ACL less stable but not unhappy
ACL>CL unhappy relationship
What are the four stages in SET
Sampling stage
Bargaining stage
Commitment stage
Institutionalisation stage
What is the sampling stage
Exploration of potential rewards and costs by experience or observation of others
What is the bargaining stage
First stage in a romantic relationship where partners exchange rewards and costs to figure out the most profitable exchanges and negotiates the dynamics
What is the commitment stage
Becomes more stable and partners become familiar with the rewards and costs and expectations so rewards increase and costs lessen while attraction increases
What is the institutionalisation stage
When costs and rewards are firmly established
What evidence is there
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
What are the strengths
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
What are the weaknesses
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)
