theories of romantic relationships Flashcards
(10 cards)
what is the social exchange theory
a theory of how relationships form and develop, relationship formation involves the interaction between two partners each with their own needs and expectations
what are rewards,costs and profits
this theory assumes partners act out of self interest in exchanging rewards and costs.
individuals who receive favourable rewards/cost outcomes are more likely to be satisfied with their relationship and so are less likely to leave it- a satisfying relationship is maintained when rewards exceed the costs
the thoery assumes we are attracted to those who offer rewards and put off of a relationship percieved to involve great costs
what are comparison levels
this is the amount of reward you believe you deserve to get. it develops out of experiences of previous relationships. its also influenced by social norms. we consider a relationship is worth having if our cl is high
those with a low esteem have a low cl and will be satisfied with a small profit, an individual with high esteem will believe theyre worth more.
What are comparison for alternatives
this provides a wider context for our current relationship, do we believe we could gain greater rewards and fewer costs fom another relationship or from our own. we will stay in our relationship if we believe its more rewarding than alternatives
an individual will be committed to their current relationship when the overall benefits and costs are greater than what might be possible in an alternative relationship. in an alternative relationship if the alternatives options are more appealing, people are tempted to leave
stages of relationship development
sampling stage-we explore rewards and costs of social exchange by experimenting with them in our own relationships or by observing others doing so
bargaining stage-the beginning of our relationships, partners start exchanging various rewards ad costs negotiating which is more profitable
commitment stage-as time goes on the sources of costs and rewards become more predictable and he relationship becomes more stable as rewards increase and costs decrease.
institututionalisation stage-the partners are now settled down because the norms of the relationship are established
what is the a03 for the social exchange theory
supporting evidence from sprecher-conducted a longitudinal study of 101 dating couples in a US uni- they found the factor most highly associated with relationship commitment was partners CLA. when CLA was high, commitment to the relationship was low, shows those who lack alternatives are likely to remain committed.
supporting evidence from kurdek- had a questionnaire measuring relationship commitment and the SET variables. he found that partners who were most committed also perceived the most rewards and fewest costs and viewed alternatives as unnatractive
it explains individual differences in relationships
set explains why an individual will stay in an abusive relationship due to costs of leaving is greater than the costs of staying.it explains why people maintain a relationship even when the benefits arent present.
its culturally biased- the theory implies we are self centered and will only maintain romantic relationships if the benefits outweight the costs, however not all relationships are voluntaary. consequently it may not be possible for an individual to withdraw from such a relationship even if the costs outweighed the rewards.
what is the equity theory
people are most comfortable when what they get out of a relationship is roughly equal to what they put in.
relationships that lack equity are associated with distinct types of dissatisfaction. if people feel over benefitted they may experience pity,guilt and shame, if theyre under benefitted they may feel anger,sadness and resentment.
what are the ways to restore equity in a relationship
restoration of actual equity-individuals can restore equity by voluntarily setting things right or urging their partners to do so
restoration of psychological equity-couples in inequitable relationships can distort reality and convince themselves that things are perfectly fair the way they are
leaving the relationship- if equity cant be restored they can leave it
what is the A03 for the equity theory
theres supporting evidence-stafford and canary asked over 200 married couples to complete questionnaires measuring equity and relationship satisfaction. satisfaction was highest for spouses who perceived their relationships to be equitable followed by over benefitted partners. under benefitted partners were least satisfied.spouses who were treated equitably were happier and were more likely to engage in behaviours that contributed to their spouses sense of equity and happiness.
there are individual differences- not everyone experiences the same level of tension when they perceive inequitable relationships- huseman identified three categories of individuals- benevolents,equity sensitives and entitleds. benevolents are givers and tend to be more tolerant of under rewarded inequity. equity sensitives behave in accordance with the equity theory. entitles like to be over rewarded having the attitude that theyre owed and entitled to receive benefits. the concept of equity sensitivty determines the extent to which an individual tolerates inequity. this shows individual differences have an impact on inequitable relationships
culture bias- equity isnt important in non western cultures given that most research has been carried out in western cultures- aumer ryan found there are cultural differences between equity and relationship satisfaction. individualistic cultures like it when their relationship is equitable but countries like jamaica like it when they overbenefit
the direction of causation is unclear- there is research that shows a lack of equity leads to dissatisfaction but other shows an opposite direction of cause and effect. grote and clark argue that as soon as partners start monitoring each others contributions this is a sign of dissatisfaction. once dissatisfactions sets in partners notice inequties and become even more dissatisfied.
