Theories of Romantic relationships Flashcards
4 theories of Romantic relationships?
- Social exchange theory
- Equity theory
- Rusbult’s investment model of commitment
- Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown
Where can these theories apply to?
- friendships, work colleagues
- formation, maintenance & breakdown of a relationship
What is social exchange theory & who proposed it?
- Thibault & Kelly (1959)
- suggests behaviours in relationships reflects economic theories
- proposes relationships involve exchanging resources
- benefits vs costs of a relationship
- individuals will try to maximise the benefits & minimise costs
How will someone calculate the outcome of a relationship?
when is the relationship likely to break down using the calculation?
- using cost-benefit analysis
Outcome = Rewards - Costs - relationship starts costing more than it benefits
What 2 elements are used to measure the benefits in a relationship?
- comparison level: comparison of previous r’ships to the current one
- Comparison level to alternatives: other potential r’ships to see if they offer more benefits
Social exchange theory 4 stages of development made by Thibault & Kelly 1959?
- Sampling stage: benefits & costs are assessed in a number of r’ships
- Bargaining stage: benefits & costs identified in the r’ship
- Commitment stage: benefits/costs become predictable as r’ship develops
- Institutionalisation stage: interactions become predictable & coupls ‘settles down’
AO3 social exchange
Research support Rasbult & Martz?
P - Rasbult & Martz research support
E - applied SET to women in abusvie relationships
- women would tend to go back into abusive relationships, briefly leaving because there was no better alternative (comparison level)
E - Suggested women would prefer to be with an abusive partner than be by themselves as the abusive r’ship offered benefits in some form
L - support SET theory
AO3 social exchange
Research support Hatfield?
P - Hatfield research support
E - Found partners who under benefitted in a r’ship were angry & felt deprived
- whereas those who over benefitted felt guilty & uncomfortable
E suggests an equilibrium is required for r’ship to be effective
L - SET has practical benefits if practiced for people’s general wellbeing in a r’ship
AO3 social exchange
SET is socially sensitive?
P - SET is socially sensitive due to the negativity of the theory
E - By basing relationships on the notion that humans are selfish & a relationship revolves around economies (cost v.s. benefits) causes a negative outlook
E - Could cause people with different r’ship views to fear involving themeslves in a r’ship if they’re being judged by their benefit/cost rather than them individually
L - SET socially sensitive
AO3 social exchange
Practical application?
(ICBT)
(Chrisetnsen 2004)
P - Useful practical application
E - Integrated Behavioural Couples Therapy (IBCT) where partners are encouraged to increase positive exchanges & decrease negative exchanges, by changing negative behaviour patterns
E - Christensen 2004 found 2/3 of couples that used ICBT reported their r’ship had improved
L - shows SET can be used to help couples showing its real world application
What is equity theory?
Who came up with it?
What theory did it refine?
- equity theory is based on fairness (equity) not necessarily equality
- made by Walster refining SET
- individuals become dissatisfied with r’ships if they feel they’re unfair (inequity)
In equity theory when is a r’ship likely to end?
- if a partner feels they are over benefitting/under benefitting as the r’ship is inequitable
Explain perceived ratios of inputs & outputs (equity & equality)?
- inequity doesn’t mean inequality - two people can put in different amounts & still have equity
- person will hold subjective views on relative inputs & outputs of themselves & their partner
What’s the difference between SET & Equity theory?
- SET is about maximising the profits of a relationship & equity theory is about fairness
In relation to equity theory:
Profit?
Distribution?
Dissatisfaction?
Realignment?
- Benefit (usually financial) that should be equal minus the costs
- ET focused on determining whether distribution of resources is fair
- Perceptions of inequity are associated with dissatisfaction
- More unfair the r’ship feels the harder the partner will work to restore equity
AO3 Equity theory
Research support Dainton?
(link perceived low equity & low satisfaction)
P - Research support Dainton
E - Found there was a link between perceived low equity & lowered satisfaction
- 219 Pt’s showed motivation to return to equity increasing the chances of relationship success
E - Indicates equity plays a major role in the maintenance of a r’ship
L - So, the theory has some clout in describing what processes maintain a r’ship
AO3 Equity theory
Individual differences that limit credibility?
(Huseman 1987)
(Benevolents & Entitleds)
P - Individual differences limit the credibility of ET
E - e.g. not all partners in r’ships are concerned with achieving equity
E - Huseman 1987 suggested some people are less sensitive to ET than other & are separated into two groups of people: Benevolents & Entitleds)
L - suggests ET cannot be applicable to every couple as its relative
AO3 Equity theory
Cultural differences?
P - ET cannot apply to all cultures
E - Couples from other cultures (where groups needs is above the individual) were more satisfied when over benefitting than those in individualistic cultures (where needs of the individual is above the group)
E - some cultures have beliefs that one member of the r’ship should benefit more e.g. in a traditional nuclear family the man works & the female is a housewife
L - Not all cultures could adopt Equity theory because of their cultural practices & norms
What is Rusbult’s investment model of commitment theory?
what is the model?
- expanded on SET by adding in the impact investment has on commitment in a relationship
satisfaction
alternatives – commitment = stay/leave
investments
Rusbult suggests commitment depends on 3 factors?
- Satisfaction: To what degree does the partner meet your needs
- Comparison with alternatives
- Investment size: The longer the relationship lasts the more the partners would have invested (ending the r’ship at this point would be pointless)
5 maintenance behaviours in Rusbults investment model of commitment?
- ACCOMMODATION of your partner
- WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE for the cause of the r’ship
- FORGIVENESS to resolve a problem
- POSITIVE ILLUSIONS form of self-deception to look for positives in themselves/partner
- RIDICULING ALTERNATIVES any potential partners to be viewed as worse than their current partner
AO3 Rusbult model
Lin & Rusbult?
P - Research support Lin & Rusbult
E - Found females generally reported higher satisfaction levels, poorer scores for alternatives, but greater investment scores & commitment overall
E - supports idea that there a gender differences but also backs up previous research theories on evolutionary aspects of relationships
L - shows Rusbult investment model is credible
AO3 Rusbult model
Theoretical issues?
(Goodfriend & Agnew 2008)
P - Theoretical issues with Rusbult
E - Theory is an oversimplified idea of investment, Goodfriend & Agnew argue that it is not just things we bring to the table as investments but also a couple’s plan for the future
E - Partners will be committed to staying in r’ship because they want to see the future planned
L - Shows investment is more comprehensive than what the theory proposes making the investment model reductionist
AO3 Rusbult model
Practical application?
(Explanation for why people stay in abusive relationships)
(Rusbultz & Martz)
P - Investment model provides an explanation for why people stay in abusive r’ships
E - According to the model if a partner feels their investments will be lost if they leave they are more likely to stay in a r’ship even if the costs are high
E - Rusbult & Martz in their ‘battered women’ study found women would return to an abusive partner if they had invested in it & there were no alternatives
L - shows investment model ca be applied to different relationship scenarios that ET & SET fail to explain, thus increasing IMC to everyday society
