Theories of Romantic Relationships: Equity Theory Flashcards
(14 cards)
AO1 equity theory
- People were criticising social exchange and equity means fairness in relationships
- Disagrees with social exchange theory
- Equity = fair in a relationship
- In a relationship we want the relationship to be fair
- Fairness in the relationship, high costs = high rewards
- If your partner doesn’t do much you’ll be satisfied if he doesn’t get as much out of it
- My profit and his profit do not need to be equal
- Unsuccessful relationship (inequity)
- If I put lots in, but don’t get much out = underbenefitter – emotional consequence is often feels anger and resentment towards their partner
- If he put little in, but gets lots out = overbenefitter – emotional consequence is feeling embarrassed and shameful because they’re causing their partner harm
AO3 (1) equity theory
- Most research is self-report
- A weakness of equity theory is that the research can be deemed as unreliable
- For example, a majority of research for equity theory is done through self-report which means that the participants themselves have to provide the data for the investigator.
- This is a weakness as it means that partcipants could create biased answers based on what they think sounds best rather than what actually occurs in the relationship.
- However, it can be argued that self report methods can be reliable as participants are more likely to be honest as the researcher does not need to be present, thus increasing the usefulness of this kind of methodology.
- Despite this, the partcipants may change their answers to please the investigator or investigation
- Thus reducing internal validity of equity theory
- Heteronormative
AO3 (2) equity theory
- A strength of equity theory is that it has practical application
- For example, equity theory can be used effectively in therapy like relationship counselling.
- This is a strength as couples can help to resolve relationship issues by identifying who in the relationship is an underbenefitter and overbenefitter and therefore what they can do to change this.
- However, it can be argued that this cannot be applied to all relationships as in some cases people enjoy being the overbenefitter and underbenefitter, therefore reducing the usefulness of equity theory
- Despite this, equity theory has real world application when it comes to therapy as it can be applied to most real world scenarios, increasing its utility
- thus increasing the external validity of equity theory
- Helpful in therapy like relationship counselling
- Ignores alternative theory Rusbult
AO3 (3) equity theory
- A weakness of ET is that it ignores the concept of investment.
- Equity theory is an alternative theory of romantic relationships that suggests that costs and benefits in a relationship does have to be equal, it just has to be fair between each partner.
- This is a weakness, as the ET is too nomothetic to assume that all people want FAIRNESS IN A RELATIONSHIP AND IGNORES INVESTEMENTS. that relationships are more complex than once considered.
- However, it can be argued that regardless of the investment, research has still shown a positive correlation between equity and satisfaction, maintaining its credibility
- Despite this, it is still a weakness as it works to identify how they may be other factors involved in the maintenance of a romantic relationship, disputing the FAIRNESS principle.
- This therefore works to weaken the credibility of the theory proposed and decreases its internal validity
Q: What is the main idea of Equity Theory in relationships?
A: Fairness is more important than profit—partners aim for a balanced ratio of rewards to costs.
Q: Does equity mean equality in relationships?
A: No—equity means fairness, not that both partners give and get the same, but that their ratios of input to output are perceived as fair.
Q: What is an overbenefitter?
A: A partner who gets more out of the relationship than they put in—may feel guilt and shame.
Q: What is an underbenefitter?
A: A partner who puts in more than they receive—may feel anger, resentment, or dissatisfaction.
Q: How does inequity affect emotions in a relationship?
Underbenefitter: feels envy, anger, resentment.
Overbenefitter: feels guilt, shame, discomfort.
Q: What is the relationship between perceived inequity and dissatisfaction?
A: There is a positive correlation—the more inequity perceived, the more likely dissatisfaction will occur.
Q: Does our sense of fairness change over time?
A: Yes—what once seemed fair may later feel unfair as the relationship evolves.
Q: How might someone respond to perceived inequity?
Behavioural change: Try to increase fairness (e.g. give more, demand less).
Cognitive change: Convince themselves it’s fair (e.g. reinterpret their partner’s behaviour).
Q: If one partner is messy and unreliable but the other tolerates it as “normal,” what coping strategy are they using?
A: Cognitive adjustment—accepting certain costs as part of the relationship norm.
Q: How does effort in a relationship change over time, according to Equity Theory?
A: Early on, effort may be high to impress a partner; later, input decreases once fairness is established.
