ToRR: social exchange theory

Question 1

Who proposed the social exchange theory?

Answer 1

Thibault and Kelley (1959)

Question 2

What type of theory is the SET?

Answer 2

Economic theory

Question 3

What do Thibault and Kelley claim that behaviour in relationships reflect?

Answer 3

• the economic assumptions of exchange

Question 4

What is the minimax principle?

Answer 4

-The idea that partners in romantic relationship strive to minimise losses and maximise gains
- We judge our satisfaction in terms of the profit the relationship yields (rewards minus costs)

Question 5

List potential rewards when entering a relationship

Answer 5

• emotional support
• sex
• companionship

Question 6

List potential costs when entering a relationship

Answer 6

• time
• energy
• compromise
• stress

Question 7

rewards and costs are…..
give example

Answer 7

• subjective - what one person considers as significant reward, might be viewed by someone else as less valuable
• e.g. one might see receiving praise from partner as a reward but partner may not

Question 8

What can happen to the value of rewards over time?

Answer 8

• they may change over the course of relationship
• what is seen as rewarding in the early stages may become less so as time goes on

Question 9

What other cost does a relationship incur and what is this?

Answer 9

• an opportunity cost
• Your investment of time and energy in your current relationship means using resources that you cannot invest elsewhere

Question 10

What is the first measure of profit in a romantic relationship?
define

Answer 10

• Comparison level
• this is the amount of reward that you believe you deserve to get

Question 11

What is our comparison level developed/influence by?

Answer 11

• experiences of previous relationships (feed into our expectations of current one)
• social norms (what is considered reasonable level of reward in culture reflected in films, books, TV etc)
• self-esteem (someone with low self esteem will have a low CL & may be satisfied with gaining a small profit compared to someone with a high self-esteem)

Question 12

What is the second measure of profit in a romantic relationships? Define

Answer 12

• Comparison level for alternatives
• Based on if you believe that you can get greater rewards and fewer costs from another relationship (or from being on your own)

Question 13

What does Duck argued the CLalt we adopt depend on?

Answer 13

• the state of our relationship
  >if the costs of our relationship outweighs the rewards, alternatives become more attractive

Question 14

What are the four stages in which a romantic relationship develops?

Answer 14

• sampling stage
• bargaining stage
• commitment stage
• institutionalised stage

Question 15

What happens in the sampling stage?

Answer 15

• we explore the rewards & costs of SET in our own relationships or by observing others

Question 16

What happens in the bargaining stage?

Answer 16

• marks beginning of relationship where partners start exchanging various rewards & costs
• these are negotiated in order to work out what is the most profitable

Question 17

What happens in the commitment stage?

Answer 17

• sources of costs & rewards become more predictable & the relationship becomes more stable as rewards increase & costs lessen

Question 18

What happens in the institutionalisation stage?

Answer 18

• partners are now settled down because costs and rewards have been firmly established

Question 19

What research support is there for the concepts of the SET theory?

Answer 19

• from research studies
  -Kurdek asked gay, lesbian & heterosexual couples to complete questionnaires measuring relationship commitment & SET variables
• found that partners who had the most rewards & fewest costs were the most committed & viewed alternative as unattractive
• findings match prediction of the SET» increases validity

Question 20

What is a counterpoint to the research support?

Answer 20

• studies into SET ignore one crucial factor that may be a overwhelming consideration for romantic relationships - equity
• what matters is not just the balance of costs & rewards but the partners perception that it is fair
  SET = limited explanation > look at the equity theory instead

Question 21

What is a limitation of the SET theory? contradicting evidence

Answer 21

• limitation is the SET’s claim that dissatisfaction arises only after a relationship stops being ‘profitable’
• SET states that we become dissatisfied when we conclude that the costs of relationship outweighs its rewards and seek alternatives
• Argyle argued that when in a satisfying relationship we don’t monitor costs & rewards or consider alternatives until after we are dissatisfied

Question 22

What is another limitation of the SET?

Answer 22

• SET deals in concepts that are vague & hard to quantify
• rewards & costs have been defined superficially in research (e.g. money) in order to measure them
• real- world psychological rewards are subjective & hard to define
• e.g. loyalty may be rewarding for some but not for everyone
• theory difficult to test in valid way