theories of romantic relationships: equity theory Flashcards
what is equity theory?
an economic theory of how a relationship develops. as such, it acknowledges the impact of rewards and costs on relationships satisfaction, but criticises social exchange theory for ignoring the central role of equity- the perception that partners have about whether the distribution of rewards and costs in the relationship is fair
what is the role of equity?
when there is a lack of equity, then one partner overbenefits and the other underbenefits from the relationship, which is a recipe for dissatisfaction and unhappiness
what happens when a partner gets too much reward out of a relationship?
they may feel guilt, discomfort and shame. leads to increased dissatisfaction and makes it less likely for them to stay in the relationship
what is needed to secure equity?
negotiations and compromise, satisfaction is highest when the partners both put equal amounts and get equal amounts from the relationship
the greater the perceived inequity…
the greater the dissatisfaction- equity theory predicts a strong correlation between the two
what impact does changes in perceived equity have?
•what makes us most dissatisfied is a change in the level of perceived equity as time goes on
•for example, at the start of a relationship it may feel perfectly natural to contribute more than you receive
•but if the relationship develops in such a way that you continue to put in more than you get out, it will not feel as satisfying as it did in the early days
how might someone deal with inequity?
•the underbenefitted partner is usually motivated to try and make the relationship more beneficial to them
•or, they might revise their perceptions of adequate costs and rewards to make the relationship more beneficial to them. what was once seen as a cost might become the accepted norm
similarities between SET and equity theory:
•both economic theories that consider inputs and outputs
•assumes costs and rewards will differ over time
•assumes costs and benefits are subjective
differences between SET and equity theory
SET:
•we act out of pleasure and only self interest
•relationship breakdown is due to a consideration of alternatives and comparison levels
equity theory:
•we act out of a desire for fairness
•breakdown is due to inequity
strength: research support from real world relationships
•Utne carried out a survey on recently married couples, measuring equity with two self-report scales
•participants had been together for more than two years before marrying
•the researches found that couples who had equity in their relationship were more satisfied than those overbenefitting or underbenefitting
•this study confirms that equity is a major concern of romantic couples and is linked with satisfaction, a central prediction of the equity theory
limitation: equity does not increase over time
•Berg and McQuinn found that equity does not increase over time as predicted by the theory
•researches didn’t find that relationships which ended and those which continued differed in terms of equity, a further prediction of equity theory
•other variables like self disclosure were significantly more important
•this undermined the validity of equity theory because equity does not play the role in relationship (dis) satisfaction that is predicted
limitation: cultural limitations
•equity theory may not apply to all cultures
•couples from individualistic cultures considered their relationships to be most satisfying when it was equitable
•partners in collectivist cultures were most satisfied when they were over benefiting
•this was true of both men and women
•this suggests that the theory is limited because it only applies to some cultures
limitation: individual differences
•not all partners in romantic relationships are concerned about achieving equity
•Huseman suggests that people are more concerned about the ‘norm’ than equity, some partners are
-benevolents, who are prepared to contribute more to the relationship than they get out of it (under benefit)
- entitleds, who believe they deserve to over benefit without feeling distressed/ guilty
•in both cases such individuals have less concern about equity than the theory predicts
•this shows that a desire for equity varies from one individual to another and is not a universal feature of romantic relationships
limitation: equity- cause or effect?
•there is research showing that lack of equity is a cause of dissatisfaction (caused by underbenefitting or overbenefitting)
•however, researchers argue that as soon as partners start monitoring eachothers contributions this is a sign of pre existing dissatisfaction
•once dissatisfaction sets in, partners notice inequities and become even more dissatisfied- a ‘cycle of misery’
