Maintenance of relationships

Maintenance of relationships

1. SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY

   • Thibaut and Kelley - we try and get as much out of a relationship as we can by MAXIMISING rewards and MINIMISING costs
     • Thibaut and Kelley proposed a comparison level - the comparison level for alternatives is when they compare the rewards of starting a new relationship with the costs of ending their current one. Relationships only maintained if benefits outweigh costs
       • RUSBULT (support) The costs and rewards of relationships were compared to those of alternative relationships to asses whether relationship could be maintained.
         • RUSBULT AND MARTZ - SET can explain why women stay in abusive relationships when investments=high and alternatives=low - still a profit situation
   • 4 stages 1. sampling 2.bargaining 3.commitment 4.institutionalisation

2. EQUITY THEORY

   • WALSTER ET AL - fairness is the most important factor in whether a relationship can be maintained.
     • We would feel uncomfortable not only if we were giving more than we got but also if we were getting more than we give
       • messick and cook - pople become distressed if they perceive unfairness
   • SUPPORT- Stafford and Canary - 200 married couples, questionnaires, satisfaction was highest for those who thought that they were in equitable relationships than inequitable
     • Dainton (support) looked at 213 people in romantic relationships - relationships which perceived inequality reported lower levels of relationship satsfaction
     • HOWEVER - Ragsdale and Brandau-brown - equity isn't the most important factor - it has given an insufficient account of the way that married couples behave towards one another and T cant explain that type of relationship

3. IDA - RWA - Gottman and Levenson who looked at marriages. Successful marriage - positive to negative interactions = 5:1 unsuccessful marriages = 1:1 or less

   • Can be used in therapy to increase positive interactions.
     • Jacobsen et al used couples therapy in order to break negative patterns of behaviour and encourage maintenance

4. IDA CULTURAL BIAS - moghaddam - only applies to western cultures. cultural differences - individualistic relationships are transient and based on personal goasl - Collectivist based on permanence and needs of group

   • T - more likely to be maintained in collectivist cultures because based on permanence. and rising divorce rates in western cultures suggest that realtionships are less likely to be maintained