Theories of romantic relationships: Equity theory Flashcards
Who made the equity theory?
Elaine Waltser
What is the equity theory?
An economic theory of how relationships develop.
As such, it acknowledges the impact of rewards and costs on relationship satisfaction, but criticises SET for ignoring the central role of equity.
What is the role of equity?
The term equity means fairness.
According to Waltser, what matters most with equity is that both partners’ level of profit is roughly the same.
When there is a lack of equity then one partner overbenefits and the other underbenefits which could lead to unhappiness.
Describe Equity and Equality in the equity theory
According to the equity theory it is not the size or amount of the rewards and costs that matters, it’s the ratio of the two to each other.
So partners could make a trade off between what they do in the relationship.
what are some consequences of inequity?
Problems arise when one partner puts a great deal into the relationship but gets little out of it.
A partner who perceives inequity will become distressed and dissatisfied with the relationship. The equity theory predicts a strong correlation between the two.
What makes us most dissatisfied is a change in the level of perceived equity as time goes on.
How do partners deal with inequity?
Underbenefitted- usually motivated to make relationship equitable
On the other hand they will revise their perceptions of rewards and costs so that the relationship feels more equitable to them.
Evaluation: Research support for equity theory and that it is more valid than SET
Mary Utune carried out a survey of 118 recently-married couples, measuring equity with two self-report scales.
They were aged between 16 and 45 and had been together for over 2 years.
The researchers found that couples who considered their relationship equitable were more satisfied than those who saw themselves as over or underbenefitting.
This study shows that equity is a major concern for romantic couples and is linked with satisfaction.
Evaluation: One limitation is that equity theory may not apply to all cultures.
Katherine Amer-Ryan et al. found that there are cultural differences in the link between equity and satisfaction.
Couples from an individualistic culture (US) considered their relationships to be most satisfying when the relationship was equitable
Couples from a collectivist culture (Jamaica) were most satisfied when they were over benefitting.
This was true for both men and women
This suggests that the theory is limited because it only applies to some cultures.
Evaluation: Another limitation is that not all partners in romantic relationships are concerned about achieving equity.
(individual differences)
Richard Huseman et al. suggested that some people are less concerned about equity than the norm.
They described two types of people:
Benevolents- who are prepared to contribute more to the relationship than they get out of it.
Entitleds- Who believe they deserve to overbenefit and accept it without feeling distressed or guilty.
This shows that a desire for equity varies from one individual to another and is not a universal feature of romantic relationships.
