Relationships: topic 6 ‘theories of romantic relationships - equity theory’

Question 1

what is equity theory?

Answer 1

• equity theory argues people are most comfortable and satisfied when what they get out of a relationship (rewards) is roughly equal to what they put in to the relationship (costs)
• in other words, to be truly equitable, one partners benefit minus their costs should be equal to the other partners benefit minus their costs

Question 2

why is equity theory important in a relationship?

Answer 2

• people who give a great deal in a relationship and get little in return (under benefited) would perceive iniquity and therefore be dissatisfied in the relationship, experiencing resentment, anger and sadness
• similarly, people who receive a great deal and give little in return (over benefited) may cause them to experience pity, guilt and shame
• both scenarios are in equitable relationships, with the same consequence for both partners: dissatisfaction
• If we perceive in equity in a relationship, we are done motivated to try and restore the equity, if equity cannot be restored within the relationship may struggle to be maintained

Question 3

strengths of equity theory

Answer 3

P - evidence to support equity theory from stafford and canary
E/E - found that out of 200 married couples, satisfaction was highest for those who perceived their relationship to be equitable, followed by over benefited partners, followed by under benefited partners
L - this is positive as it is consistent with the predictions of equity theory

Question 4

limitations of equity theory

Answer 4

P - equity theory may be seen as gender bias
E - steil and weltmann found out when husbands earned more than wives, they rated their own career as more important than their wives career, and wives generally agreed
E - however, in couples where the woman’s income was higher, neither partnered their career is more important
L - this suggests that wives tend to seek less for themselves than husbands and therefore are less likely to perceive in equity, as a result it seems gender biased to assume equity is perceived in the same way by men and women

P - mills and clark believe that close relationships are too complex to allow for precise assessment of various rewards and costs involved in establishing equity
E/E - argue that it is not possible to assess equity in loving relationships because much import is emotional and therefore unquantifiable
L - to do so diminishes the quality of love which criticises equity theory and suggests that the explanation may be more appropriate to explain in non-romantic relationships rather than romantic ones