Social exchange and equity theory. How We (Unknowingly) Use Social Exchange Theory in Relationships 2022-12-08
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Social exchange theory is a social psychological and sociological perspective that explains social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties. It is based on the idea that all social interactions are based on an exchange of goods, services, or other benefits, and that individuals engage in these exchanges in order to maximize their own benefits and minimize their costs.
One important aspect of social exchange theory is the concept of equity. According to equity theory, people strive to maintain a balance between the costs and benefits they receive in a given relationship. If one person perceives that they are receiving more benefits than they are contributing, they may feel a sense of inequity and may seek to restore balance by either increasing their own contributions or decreasing their own benefits. On the other hand, if one person perceives that they are contributing more than they are receiving in benefits, they may also feel a sense of inequity and may seek to restore balance by either increasing their own benefits or decreasing their own contributions.
There are several different forms of equity that can be considered in social exchange relationships. One form is distributive equity, which refers to the balance of resources or outcomes between individuals or groups. Another form is procedural equity, which refers to the fairness of the processes or procedures used to make decisions or allocate resources. A third form is interactional equity, which refers to the balance of power and influence between individuals or groups in a given interaction.
In social exchange relationships, people may use different strategies to maintain or restore equity. For example, they may use communication and negotiation to address concerns about inequity, or they may use social influence tactics such as assertiveness or manipulation to try to change the balance of benefits and costs. They may also use social comparison to evaluate their own position in the relationship, comparing their own contributions and benefits to those of others in similar situations.
Overall, the concept of equity is an important aspect of social exchange theory, as it helps to explain how people evaluate and respond to the balance of costs and benefits in their social interactions. By understanding how people strive for equity and the strategies they use to achieve it, we can gain insights into the dynamics of social exchange relationships and how they may change over time.
Social Exchange Theory: Definition & Examples, Relationships
Demands Needs form the basis for the expectations or demands placed on organizations by individuals. Each individual unit has control of its inputs, which are contributions to the exchange time, personal sacrifice, education, commitment, loyalty that in turn contribute to outcomes, which are the results of the relationship with the other party praise, money, prestige, sense of achievement, For example, an employee of a large organization inputs their time, skills, and education into their work, and for this sacrifice, they expect to receive salary and job security as well as other intangible rewards such as responsibility or appreciation. It has sometimes been questioned by researchers who believe that the nature of close relationships differs from other types of relationships. Groups will generally reward members who treat others equitably, and generally punish increase the costs for members who treat others inequitably. Initially seeking advice can form the basis of a mutually beneficial relationship; however, to continue, the equitable exchange needs to continue.
What Is the Social Exchange Theory? Examples and History
Weaknesses Most studies into social exchange theory are game-based research tasks involving strangers, e. The greater the inequity that exists, the more distress they feel, and the harder they try to restore equity. The Social Interploye Theory Vs. This is not healthy. Clark and Mills 2011 6 argue this is not the case for romantic relationships; t hese are communal, not exchange relationships, such as your relationship with a colleague or boss.
Social Exchange, Equity & Balance Theory, Interpersonal competence
Equity, equality, and self-interest in marital maintenance. For example, an employer can withhold a bonus from an employee until he has met a particular work standard. Above is an illustrated Rose of Leary that shows the relationships between the interpersonal attribute dichotomies. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences between the social exchange theory and the equity theory, as well as give a detailed critique of the exchange theory. In this work, Homans contrasted the actions and exchanges of individuals to the actions of institutions. The lower, middle and upper classes all have stereotypes about them, but many are untrue a fallacies caused by profiling. This finding shows social exchange theory at work, as people consider rewards and costs and comparison in real Do you think an animal study can directly apply to humans? In this experiment children were either exposed to an adult exhibiting aggressive behavior or non-aggressive behavior towards the doll.
However, research indicates that there are two types of altruism: true and reciprocal. Social Exchange Theory According to Franzoi, social exchange theory is when we bond with others but benefit from it more than losing out Franzoi,2016. Remember that expensive jacket from before? People try to maximise benefits and minimise the costs in a relationship a cost-benefit analysis , according to social exchange theory. When most people think about interaction they think of people they see every day, friends, family, coworkers, and generally they want those interactions to be positive. Themes in Equity Theory are the distribution of resources and fairness, which is established objectively through analysis of the contributions versus rewards. Social exchange theory might give you some answers. What is valuable for one individual may not be valuable for another, so this theory does not aim to specify what is beneficial and what isn't.
This also highlights a weakness of SET, it ignores equity. Thibaut and Kelley were both While Homans approached the study of social exchange by starting with groups, then working down to individuals, Thibaut and Kelley started with individuals and worked up to groups. This should seek happiness instead of sadness Franzoi,2016. Now the relationship between the beloved athlete P and the faulty product they endorse + produces Criticisms of balance theory state that they use an overly simplistic model to express relationships between people, where there are often multiple factors that enter into the feelings one person may have for another for example, domestic violence relationships or historical disagreements between groups. The comparison level for alternatives is when an individual judge their relationship and identifies that they could be receiving more benefits and fewer costs from an alternative relationship with someone else.
When individuals find themselves participating in inequitable relationships, they become distressed. This theory has predictive power in that it predicts that when outcomes are perceived to be greater individuals self-disclose more. People act with other people in fully realizing that their acts will be noticed and in some way shared. American sociological review, 721-739. Important elements of the theory are the relationship between self-interest and interdependence, the evaluation of costs and rewards, and the nature of systems as closed or open.
How We (Unknowingly) Use Social Exchange Theory in Relationships
Moreover, the social exchange theory attempts to set a universal approach to relationships, but as mentioned above, relationships vary from couple to couple, so the approach cannot be generalised. Negative and positive relationships between parties have not been established in this diagram. Imagine you have a friend that you enjoy spending time with, but when it comes to supporting, they only ever seem to seek support from you, rather than reciprocate it. Environment factors contribute to the Social Learning Theory. According to Franzoi, we usually choose to have people in our benefit rather then not Franzoi,2016.
Theories of Relationships: Equity Theory and Social...
The main objective is to explain, compare and contrast the theories using the information that we have learned inside of our text books. The study of how power impacts individuals access to other organization members is called exchange network theory Redmond, 2015. Are relationships developed based on mutual gains, or are people more invested if the benefits of maintaining a relationship outweight the costs? Christens en et al. Communicating in small groups. Critical Evaluation Operationalizing rewards and costs is hugely subjective, making comparisons between people and relationships in controlled settings very difficult. .
