Theories of romantic relationships: SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY

Question 1

Social Exchange Theory

Answer 1

Thibault and Kelley (1959)
* SET
* relationship are based on the economic assumptions of echange
* we try to minimise losses/costs and minimise gains/rewards (minimax principle)
* we judge our relationships based on the profits it brings to us
* relatiosnships can be expensive
* profitable relatioships continue, unprofitable relationships fail
* a relationship also incurs an opportunity cost
* investment of time and energy in your current relationship means using resources that you cannot invest elsewhere

Question 2

Rewards

Answer 2

• companisonship
• emotional support and happiness
• children/parenthood
• loyalty
• attention
• financial support

Question 3

Costs

Answer 3

• time away from friends and family
• sharing finances and arguements
• less time on career
• loss of independence

Question 4

Ways to measure the gains/profits of a relationship:

Answer 4

1. Comparison level
2. Comparison level for alternatives

Question 5

Comparison level

Answer 5

CL
* amount of reward that you believe to get in a relationship
* this is influenced by the experiences of previous relationships and social norms thats considered to be an appropriate level of reward within that culture
* our self esteem levels may also affect this

Question 6

Comparison level for alternatives

Answer 6

CLalt
* this is about assessing whether we think there are greater gains in alternative rellationships or from being alone than in our current relationships

Question 7

Stages of relationship development

Answer 7

1. Sampling stage
2. Bargaining stage
3. Commitment stage
4. Institutionalisation stage

Question 8

Sampling stage

Answer 8

we explore the rewards/costs of a relationship through observing them in others or experimenting them in our non-romantic relationships

Question 9

Bargaining stage

Answer 9

refers to the start of a relationship where couples begin to exchange rewards + costs, identifying and negotiating whats most important
sources of profits and losses are assessed to decide whether to persue a deeper relationship

Question 10

Commitment stage

Answer 10

as the relationship becomes more stable, the rewards increase and the costs decrease. this will increase attraction

Question 11

Institutionalisation stage

Answer 11

the partners are now settled down because of the norms of the relationship are established

Question 12

Evaluation

Answer 12

+ Supportive evidence
- Opposing evidence from Argyle (1987)
- Not applicable to all relationships
- Not objective
- Not universal

Question 13

+ Supporting evidence

Answer 13

Kurdek (1995)
* asked homosexual and heterosexual couples to complete questionnaires measuring relationship commitment and SET variables
* found that partners who were most committed also perceived the most rewards and the fewest costs and viewed alternatives as unattractive options
* these findings increase the validity of SET predictions

Question 14

- Opposing evidence from Argyle (1987)

Answer 14

• SET predicts that when costs outweighs rewards and when alternatives become an attractive option, we become disatisfied and unhappy in our relationships
• However, Argyle (1987) argues that we only start to assess costs/rewards and consider alternative options after becoming disatisfied with our relatioship
• suggests that costs/alternatives is caused by disatisfaction rather than revers

Question 15

- Not applicable to all relationships

Answer 15

Clark and Mill (2011)
* argue that exchange relationships may involve profit (e.g. work collegaues) but commercial relatiosnhips (e.g. romantic relationships) involve giving and recieving rewards without thinking of profit
* at start of reationship, tallying of exchanges might be viewed with some suspicion and not ideal
* suggests that SET may not provide a suitable explanation for all type of relationships

Question 16

- Not objective

Answer 16

• key concepts of SET are difficult to quantify
• studies tend to operationalise rewards + costs superficially (e.g. money) but in reality rewards + costs are difficult to define and are subjectively judged
• its unclear what the values of CL and CLalt must be before dissatisfaction threatens a relationship
• key issue in understanding relationship breakdown
• inabilty to accurately quantify the key concepts of SET make it very different to produce valid research evidence

Question 17

- Not universal

Answer 17

• people criticise SET as it suggests that humans keep score in their relationshipss, making them appear
• while some individuals may be the kind to keep score, others will maintain relationships for other reasons, such as mutal respect and trust
• suggests that the theory doesnt apply to all relationships universally