Factors affecting attraction- social exchange theory

• what is meant by the social exchange theory?

  • likelihood of a person staying in a relationship is assessed by what they get out of the relationship compared to what they put in
  • and the comparison between what they expect out of the current relationship and what they might achieve in a different relationship
• What are the three main aspects of the social exchange theory?

  • Profit and loss
  • Comparison level
  • Comparison level for alternatives
• What does the SET have to do with profit and loss?

  • social behaviours is a series of exchanges- individuals attempt to maximise their rewards and minimise their costs.
  • People exchange resources with the expectation that they will earn a profit that rewards exceed the costs incurred
  • rewards include companionship being cared for and sex
  • costs may include effort, financial investments, and time wasted
  • social exchange has an economic basis- commitment to a relationship is dependent on the profitability of the outcomes of it
• What does the SET have to do with comparison levels?

  • Thibaut and Kelly- CL= a standard against which all our relationships are judged.
  • Our CL is a product of experiences in past relationships together with our general views of what we might expect from present one.
  • Potential profit in a new relationship exceeds our CL= the relationship is worthwhile, other person is seen as attractive, and vice versa
  • Previously unsatisfying relationship= low CL, low expectations of quality, Rewarding relationship= high CL, high quality expectations
  • relationship has more solidarity if outcomes = above CL
• what does the SET have to do with comparison levels for alternatives?

  • CLA= person weighs up increase in rewards from a different partner
  • new relationship can replace an old one if profit level is significantly higher
  • individual is committed to current relationship when the benefits are seen as greater than an alternative relationship, vice versa when the benefits of an alternative relationship seem greater
  • more rewarding alternatives- the less dependent the partner is on the relationship and the less stable the relationship
  • distress for one partner if the other lacks commitment
• describe the key study by Schmitt and Kurdek on the importance of social exchange factors in determining relationship quality

  • 185 couples
  • 44 heterosexual married, 35 co habiting, 50 same sex males, 56 same sex females
  • lived together, no kids
  • each couple completed a questionnaire without discussion
  • FINDINGS- greater relationship satisfaction was associated with- perception of the benefits of the current relationship (CL) and seeing alternatives as less attractive (CLA)
  • therefore factors predicting satisfaction in same sex couples are the same factors in heterosexual relationships
• evaluation of SET?

  • 😊research support- Sprecher- dating uni couples, if students had a high CLA, commitment to relationship and relationship satisfaction were low
  • ☹️unclear what makes a "cost" and a "benefit"- individual differences- constant attention may be rewarding to one but punishing to another, theory needs more flexibility
  • ☹️ignores other factors- ppl may be less aware of being under-benefitted/be more tolerant- even though unfavourable ratio is recognised, they put up with costs
  • 😊research support for CL and CLA- Schmitt and Kurdek