Maintenance of Relationships

Maintenance of Relationships

1. Social exchange theory

   • Profit & Loss: We aim to maximise rewards and minimise costs. Rewards- Costs= Profit. In order for a relationship to work there must be a profit.
     • AO2 Rusbult & Martz: use this theory to explain why women stay in abusive relationships. If the investment is high (eg, children or financial security) and alternatives are low (such as no where to live,) an abusive relationship can still be seen as a profit situation as the benefits outweigh the costs.
   • Comparison Level: We develop a comparison level which is a level we judge all relationships against. This can come from previous relationships, media, parents etc. If the profit in a relationship exceeds what we believe to be our value, the relationship is seen as worthwhile. If you do not believe you receive enough rewards you may feel the relationship is not worthwhile.
     • Comparison level Alternative: If you believe you could gain more rewards from another potential partner, you will weigh up these rewards minus the cost of ending your current relationship. If there is a profit, you are likely to leave your current relationship.
     • AO2 Simpson et al: asked p's to rate members of the opposite sex in terms of attractiveness, this in a relationship gave lower ratings than single p's. This supports the comparison level. However, this does not explain why people leave successful relationships. nor does it suggest how great the disparity in CL has to be to become unsatisfactory.
   • AO2: Marelich et al: Found when surveying 267 American students, men were more likely to use blatant lies (caring or commitment) to have sex. Women were more likely to have sex to avoid confrontation, gain partner approval and promote intimacy. This shows that sexual deception is part of the exchange process. The rewards are sexual pleasure, intimacy, positive feelings. The costs are deception and unwanted sex.
   • Social exchange theory has been criticised for focusing too much on the individual's perspective and ignoring the social aspects of a relationship, such as how partners communicate and interpret shared events. The main criticism focuses on the selfish nature of the theory. Are people only motivated to maintain relationships out of hedonistic concerns? It is possible that such principles only apply in individualist cultures.

2. Equity Theory

   • Inequity and Distress: People strive to achieve fairness in their relationship and feel distressed if they perceive unfairness. If an individual puts more in than they get out they would perceive unfairness. The greater the perceived inequality the more distress felt.
     • AO2: Stafford & Canary: asked over 200 married couples to complete measures of equality and relationship satisfaction. They found that the highest satisfied p's were those couples who perceived their relationship to be equitable.
   • Ratio of Inputs to Outputs: equity does not mean equality. Equity is concerned with perceived ratio of inputs to outputs: an equitable relationship should be one where their benefits - costs = partners benefits - costs. If we feel inequality in the relationship we attempt to restore it by either changing the amount we put in or the amount we demand.
     • AO2: DeMaris: wanted to find out whether marital inequity is associated with later marital disruption. He used 1500 couples as part of the US national survey of families and household and found that the only association of marital inequity and marital disruption was the women's sense of being under benefited in cases of divorce.
     • Clark and Mills (1979) disagreed with the claim that all relationships are based on economics. They distinguished between exchange relationships and communal relationships. Although exchange relationships may involve keeping track of rewards and costs, communal relationships are governed more by a desire to respond to the needs of the partner.

3. AO2/AO3 Points.

   • Culture Bias: Moghaddam (1998) suggests that such 'economic' theories only apply to Western relationships, and even then only to certain short-term relationships. One group of people who fit this are Western students. They are typically very mobile and experience many short-term romantic relationships. When there is little time to develop long-term commitment, it makes sense to be more concerned with give and take. Long-term relationships within other population groups are more likely to value security than personal profit.
   • Gender Difference: Men and women might judge the equity of a relationship differently. Steil and Weltman (1991) found that among married working couples, husbands who earned more than their wives rated their own careers as the most important, and their wives tended to agree. In couples where the woman's income exceeded the man's, neither partner rated their career as more important.
   • Relationship Types: The type of relationships researched can also be criticised for focusing on heterosexual realtionships and not gay or lesbian relationships. Even in cohabiting or dating couples, there can be differences in the perception of profit and loss and the relationships economics. The relationships used are often not representative of the general population, particularly in Western cultures where homosexual relationships are widely accepted.