36335318
Description
Mind Map by Caitlin Hazelton, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Caitlin Hazelton
about 2 years ago
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Theories of Romantic Relationships
- Social Exchange Theory
- Economic theory
- based on operant conditioning and economics
- we form a relationship if it is rewarding
- Minimax principle
- we attempt to maximise our rewards and
minimise our costs of being in a relationship
- we stay and commit
to a relationship if it
is profitable
- we attempt to maximise our rewards and
minimise our costs of being in a relationship
- Sampling, Bargaining, Commitment
and Institutionalisation
- Commitment level - how much of a reward you
believe you deserve to get.
- if we judge the potential
profit of a new relationship
to exceed our CL, the
current relationship is
profitable, so the person
commits.
- if we judge the potential
profit of a new relationship
to exceed our CL, the
current relationship is
profitable, so the person
commits.
- Comparison Level with Alternatives - if one is
dissatisfied with their current relationship as it is
less rewarding than alternatives so they do not
commit to the current relationship
- Support for CLAlt.
- Sprecher found that CLAlt negatively
correlated with satisfaction so if
commitment is high, the alternative
options are low
- Sprecher found that CLAlt negatively
correlated with satisfaction so if
commitment is high, the alternative
options are low
- Real-world application: IBCT
- Gottman and Levenson found
that in successful marriages, the
ratio of positive to negative
exchanges was 5:1 but in
unsuccessful marriages it was 1:1
- can help to increase exchanges between
couples and reduces number of divorces -
beneficial for the economy
- Gottman and Levenson found
that in successful marriages, the
ratio of positive to negative
exchanges was 5:1 but in
unsuccessful marriages it was 1:1
- Limitation: economic metaphor.
- e.g. Clark and Mills found two types of relationships
- Exchange relationships - do
involve exchanges
- Communal relationships -
between romantic partners
marked by receiving and giving of
rewards without keeping score
- Exchange relationships - do
involve exchanges
- not something we do in everyday life
- e.g. Clark and Mills found two types of relationships
- Economic theory
- Equity Theory
- Equity is where people strive to achieve fairness in their
relationships and places emphasis on the need for each
partner to experience a balance between the cost and
their benefit
- Profit in a relationship is maximised and the costs are minimised
- Distribution -
compensations are
negotiated to
achieve fairness in
the relationship
- If restoring equity is possible, maintenance of
the relationship will continue - they will realign
their distribution to change their profits
- If restoring equity is possible, maintenance of
the relationship will continue - they will realign
their distribution to change their profits
- The greater the degree of perceived unfairness, the greater the dissatisfaction
- If one puts in a lot but gets out a lot, then
this will seem fair. This is known as the
perceived ratio of inputs and outputs
- Under-benefitted
- anger
- not receiving to the same level that
you are giving in a relationship
- anger
- Over-benefitted
- not giving to the same level that you are receiving
- Guilt
- not giving to the same level that you are receiving
- Support - Hatfield:
Under-benefitted
versus
Over-benefitted.
Found that under
were more angry and
over were more guilty
- Cultural Bias - Moghaddam.
Economic theories only apply
to Western relationships. In
non-traditional societies,
they are more likely to value
security over personal profit.
- Individual Differences - Huseman. Some
are less sensitive to equity. For instance,
there are two types of people that are less
sensitive to equity.
- Benevolents - are prepared to contribute more than they receive
- Entitleds - believe that they deserve to
over-benefit and accept it without feeling guilty
- Benevolents - are prepared to contribute more than they receive
- Equity is where people strive to achieve fairness in their
relationships and places emphasis on the need for each
partner to experience a balance between the cost and
their benefit
- Investment Model
- maintenance of
a relationship is
determined by
commitment
- Commitment is the likelihood that the relationship will persist
- economic theory
- Satisfaction is the extent to which the partners feel
the rewards of the relationship exceeds the costs
- Investments are the resources
associated with a romantic
relationship which would be lost if
the relationship ended
- Intrinsic Investments are what we put in directly, e.g.
money, energy and emotions, time etc
- Extrinsic Investments are jointly point in, e.g. memories
- Intrinsic Investments are what we put in directly, e.g.
money, energy and emotions, time etc
- Comparison to alternatives is a judgement about
whether a relationship with a different partner
would reduce costs and increase rewards
- Valid explanation involving abusive relationships.
- e.g. Rusbult and Martz asked women why they stayed in an
abusive relationship and they said that they had invested a lot
- e.g. Rusbult and Martz asked women why they stayed in an
abusive relationship and they said that they had invested a lot
- Large basis of work supports the model
- E.g. Le and Agnew found that satisfaction, CLAlt
and investment size all predicted commitment
- E.g. Le and Agnew found that satisfaction, CLAlt
and investment size all predicted commitment
- Uses correlations so no cause and effect relationships are established. E.g. there a re
strong correlations between all of the important factors predicted by the investment
model, however, there is no other factual evidence to suggest that this is the case
- maintenance of
a relationship is
determined by
commitment
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