Equity Theory

• Equity theory: an economic model of relationships based on the idea of fairness for each partner balancing between the costs and the benefits
• Relationships that lack equity are associated with distinct types of dissatisfaction
• If over benefitted then they may feel pity, guilt and shame
• If under benefitted then they may feel anger sadness and resentment
• Greater the inequity, the greater the dissatisfaction and stress and the more they are motivated to do something about it
• The social exchange and or equity theory of romantic relationships suggests that partners in a relationship contribute different amounts of time, energy, and resources, and that these contributions should be balanced.
• The equity theory of romantic relationships suggests that partners in a relationship contribute different amounts of time, energy, and resources, and that these contributions should be balanced.
• Equity as it applies to romantic relationships is the concept that partners in a relationship contribute different amounts of time, energy, and resources, and that these contributions should be balanced.
• Research into the equity theory of romantic relationships has focused on understanding how partners in a relationship contribute different amounts of time, energy, and resources, and how these contributions should be balanced.
• Schafer and Keith: hundreds of married couples of all ages noting those who felt their marriages were inequitable due to an unfair division of domestic responsibilities
• During the child bearing years wives often reported feeling under-benefited and husbands over-benefited- marital satisfaction tended to dip
• In contrast during the honeymoon and empty-nest stages both husbands both husbands and wives were more likely to perceive equity and to feel satisfaction with their marriages
• Hatfield and Rapson: how couples are concerned with reward and equity depends on the stage of their relationship
• When couples are at the initial stages of a relationship considerations of reward, fairness and equity are important
• However once individuals become deeply committed to each other they become less concerned about day-to-day reward and equity
• Happily married people tend not to keep score of how much they are giving and getting
• Couples in equitable relationships are also less likely to risk extramarital affairs than their peers and their relationships are generally long lasting than most of their peers
• Restoration of actual equity: Individuals can restore equity by voluntarily setting things right by 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 just the way they are
• If couples are unable to restore equity in their relationship, they can leave it: this can be physically or emotionally
• KEY STUDY: STAFFORD AND CANARY
• The main reason for this is that women’s greater relationship focus may make them more sensitive to injustice and inequity.
• Women tend to perceive themselves as more under-benefited compared to men and are more disturbed by being under-benefited than are men.
• Brosnan and de Waal found that the female capuchin monkey became angry if they were denied a highly prized reward of grapes for playing a game.
• Asked 200 married couples to complete measures of equity and relationship satisfaction
• Benevolents are givers and tend to be more tolerant of under-rewarded inequity.
• Women are more likely to be vigilant about inequality and more likely to react negatively about being exploited.
• Equity sensitivity determines the extent to which an individual will tolerate inequity and demonstrates that there are important individual differences in the impact of inequitable relationships.
• Entitleds prefer to be over-rewarded, having the attitude that they are owed and are entitled to receive benefits, and are dissatisfied when in an under-rewarded or equitable situation.
• Huseman identified three categories of individuals: benevolents, equity sensitives, and entitleds.
• Brosnan found that chimps were more upset by injustices in casual relationships than in close intimate relationships.
• If another monkey who had played no part in the game received the grape instead the capuchins grew so angry that they hurled food at the experimenter.
• Equity sensitives behave in accordance to equity theory, experiencing tension when faced with inequity.
• Demaris found that men and women are not equally affected in romantic relationships.
• Hatfield and Rapson found that in failing marriages both processes may be operating as when marriages are faltering partners become preoccupied with the inequities of the relationship and this can lead to relationship dissolution.
• People in different cultures differ markedly in how fair and equitable they consider their relationships to be.
• Aumer and Ryan found that in all cultures they studied people considered it important that a relationship or marriage should be equitable.
• Both men and women from the US claimed to be the most equitable in relationships and both men and women from Jamaica claimed to be in the least equitable relationships.
• Each spouse was asked questions about their use of relationship maintenance strategies like assurances, sharing tasks, and positivity
• Satisfaction was highest for spouses who perceived their relationship to be equitable, followed by over-benefited partners and then under-benefited partners