Theories of Romantic Relationships: Social Exchange Theory (Thibault and Kelley) Flashcards
(18 cards)
- Minimax principle
minimise costs in a relationships and maximise rewards, not putting much into it but getting a lot out of it
Opportunity costs
a cost that you invest in one person you can’t invest in someone else
CL
- Comparison level (CL)
CLalt
- Comparison level for alternatives (CLalt)
AO3 (1) social exchange theory
- A weakness of SET is that it ignores the concept of equity.
- 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 SET is too nomothetic to assume that all people want to maximise their rewards and minimise their costs, that relationships are more complex than once considered.
- Some psychologists may argue that SET helped to develop equity theory therefore increasing its utility
- 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 minimax principle.
- This therefore works to weaken the credibility of the theory proposed and decreases its internal validity
AO3 (2) social exchange theory
- A strength of Social Exchange Theory is it’s real world application.
- For example, In IBCT (integrated behavioural couples therapy) couples are taught how to increase the proportion of positive exchanges and decease negative exchanges. Christensen 2004 treated over 60 distressed couples with IBCT and found that about two-thirds reported significant improvements in the quality of their relationship as a result
- This is a strength of SET because
- Some psychologist may argue that it is incorrect to assume increasing positive exchanges for couples will always lead to an increase in success in a romantic relationship. As seen, 1/3 did not report increased success, suggesting just increasing positive exchanges is not enough.
- Despite this, it is still a strength as it allows us to trust the predictions made by SET due to the applicability and usefulness it has had in wider society.
- This works to increase the external validity of the theory.
AO3 (3) social exchange theory
- A further weakness of SET is that it does not explain all relationships.
- Romantic relationships are very complex, and SET fails to account for individuals staying in relationships where there are many more costs that outweigh the rewards.
- This is a weakness as it leads us to question the predictions made by social exchange theory and consider whether it can actually apply to all human relationships.
- Some psychologists may argue that identifying the role of rewards and costs in a relationship allows psychologists to predict and prevent relationships that may lack success due to there factors, so although not applicable to all, it does offer increased worth due it deterministic predictions.
- Despite this, it is still a weakness because…
- Therefore, working to decrease the external validity and real world application of the theory to the complexity of all human relationships.
Q: What is the basic idea behind the economic or social exchange theory of relationships?
A: Relationships are like economic transactions—we aim to maximise rewards and minimise costs (minimax principle).
Q: What are the three components of the minimax principle?
A: Rewards (what I get), Costs (what I give), and Profit (rewards - costs).
Q: Give an example of a reward in a relationship.
A: Love, companionship, emotional support, or sexual satisfaction.
Q: Give an example of a cost in a relationship.
A: Time, effort, financial investment, or stress.
Q: How does self-esteem affect CL?
A: Higher self-esteem = higher expectations from relationships.
Q: What influences our comparison level?
A: Past relationships, media, social norms, and self-esteem.
Q: What is the comparison level (CL)?
A: The standard against which we judge the rewards in a relationship—what we think we deserve.
Q: What is the comparison level for alternatives (CLalt)?
A: Judging whether we could get better rewards from another partner or being alone.
Q: What does CLalt explain about relationship breakdown?
A: People may leave if they believe they’d gain more from an alternative.
Q: What are the four stages in the development of relationships?
Sampling – explore rewards/costs through trial & error
Bargaining – negotiate and establish what’s rewarding
Commitment – rewards/costs become more predictable
Institutionalisation – norms and expectations are established
Q: What is opportunity cost in the context of relationships?
A: The potential benefits lost when choosing to invest time and effort in one person instead of other options.
