Theories of romantic relationships; SET Flashcards
who proposed SET
thibault and kelley
what is SET
behaviour in relationships reflects economic assumptions of profit and costs
- notions of costs and rewards are subjective, value of each also tend to change over time
what is the minimax principle
we try to minimise losses and maximise gains
examples of reward
companionship, sex, emotional support
examples of cost
time, stress, energy, compromise
how do we measure the level of profit in a romantic relationship (1)
comparison level
= amount of reward you believe you deserve to get
- develops from previous relationships and feed into expectations of current one
- develops from social norms, which widely consider what is a reasonable level of reward, within a culture
e.g., in books, films, soap opera shows
how do we measure the level of profit in a romantic relationship (2)
measures profit through looking at relationship in wider context, if believe current relationship is more rewarding then other alternatives = stay in it, if not = look for alternatives, ‘plenty fish in the sea’
how is level of CL linked to self-esteem
consider a relationship worth pursuing if we have high self esteem, high CL = high self esteem
= believe we are worth more, so believe we deserve more
what are the first 2 stages of relationship development
- sampling = explore costs/rewards of SE by experimenting with them in relationships (not only romantic ones), or observing others doing so
- bargaining = marks beginning of relationship, partners start exchanging various rewards/costs
- negotiation/identification of what is most profitable
what are the last 2 stages of relationship development
- commitment = time passes, sources of costs/reward become more predictable, relationship = more stable, rewards increase, costs lessen
- institutionalisation = partners settled, costs and rewards established
strength of SET
research support
sprecher = found CLoA were strong predictor of relationship commitment, rewards were predictor of satisfactions, especially for women
= can be concluded that ppl evaluate relationships through cost/reward, stay if profitable
= supports predictions of SET
weakness of SET
direction of cause and effect
SET claims dissatisfaction only arises when relationship stops being profitable
argyle = argued costs/rewards not monitored/alternatives not considered, till after dissatisfaction, do not pay attention whilst satisfied
= suggest consideration of costs/alternatives caused by dissatisfaction and not reverse
- contradict SET, which assumes relationships maintained through assessing costs/alternatives
further weakness of SET
reductionist
- criticism of being highly reductionist, takes nomothetic approach to studying relationships
= ways in which relationships maintained, vary significantly from couple to couple = SET limited in range of IRL romantic experiences it can explain
e.g., not explain why many people stay in abusive relationships despite lack of rewards and overwhelming costs
