Social Exchange Theory (SET) Flashcards
AO1 and AO3
Who theorised SET and when?
Thibaut and Kelly, 1959
What does SET suggest?
Individuals perceive a relationship to be satisfactory based on the exchange of rewards gained and costs incurred by being in that relationship. Commitment is dependable on how profitable the relationship is to an individual.
How does SET measure profitability?
- Comparison level (CL)
- Comparison level for alternatives (CL Alt)
What is Comparison Level (CL) ?
The level we judge a relationship against is based on our perceptions of other relationships we’ve had or seen.
If a potential new relationship compares highly to our individual level, we are likely to want to form that relationship.
It’s subjective and based on what we think we deserve.
What is Comparison Level for Alternatives (CL Alt) ?
We compare the costs vs. benefits in our current relationship with those of other potential relationships.
What is the outcome of measuring profitability?
Pay-off matrix - we will form and maintain and relationship in the event of a positive pay-off matrix (benefits outweigh costs) and will quit the if not (costs outweigh benefits)
What are the four stages of Social Exchange?
- Sampling
- Bargaining
- Commitment
- Institutionalisation
What is Sampling?
We experiment with the costs and benefits we receive in different relationships in our lives
What is Bargaining?
At the start of a relationship, we begin to negotiate various costs and benefits to maximise profits
What is Commitment?
A relationship is maintained as we begin to predict what the exchange of our costs vs. benefits will be for us
What is Institutionalisation?
A relationship becomes lasting once our costs vs. benefits are firmly established
What’s a strength of SET?
It has convincing research evidence from Sprecher (2001) who measured satisfaction in 101 couples at a US university. She found that a relationship will be maintained as long as it remains satisfying when compared to our comparison level (CL) and when potential relationships are not perceived as being rewarding compared to our CL Alt. In comparison, a current relationship is likely to break down if it’s less satisfying that our CL. This suggests that individuals do make comparisons within and between their relationships and are a strong indicator of how happy we are.
What’s a limitation of SET?
SET doesn’t account for the fact not all relationships are the same. Clark and Mills (2001) argue SET does apply to all couples. They identified 2 types of couple; ‘communal couple’ ad ‘exchange couple’, and they believe SET only applies to the ‘exchange couple’ where the benefits and costs are more important, unlike the ‘communal couple’ who aren’t concerned by keeping score. This suggests SET isn’t applicable to all relationships.
What’s another limitation of SET?
SET is beta biased. Prins (1993) found women placed more importance on equity than men. Therefore SET may be a better explanation of how women experience relationships, than how men do.
