Maintenance of relationships

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WALSTER - EQUITY THEORY

Explains why some partners do and some don't manage to maintain their relationships

Believes that couples strive to achieve fairness among eachother

If unfairness is perceived then stress and dissatisfaction occurs

THERE ARE 4 MAIN PRINCIPLES

MAXIMISE REWARDS & MINIMISE COSTS

DISTRIBUTION OF REWARDS IS NEGOTIATED TO ENSURE FAIRNESS

AN UNFAIR RELATIONSHIP = DISSATISFACTION (predicts break-up at this point)

IF LOSER MOTIVATED TO RESTORE, THEY'LL STRIVE TO RE-ESTABLISH EQUITY

EVALUATION/RESEARCH

STAFFORD & CANNAY

- 200 married couples, questionnaire on equity & relationship satisfaction

- Satisfaction was higher where relationship was perceived as equitable

- supports the predictions of the equity theory

REMEMBER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES (ie. questionnaires, social desirability, self-report)

"There's very little evidence to support the equity theory in reality"

STEIL & WELTMAN - limitation

- Found that men who earned more rated their own jobs are more important than wives (wives agreed)

- When wives earned more, neither rated their careers as more important

- Suggests that women have a tendency to seek less of themselves than comparable males

- These findings impede the achievement of equity within these relationships

- Theory would assume break-up or divorce at this point but this doesn't always occur - THEREFORE LIMITS THEORY

IDA

GENDER DIFFERENCES - BETA BIAS - THEORY ASSUMES THAT MALES AND FEMALES SHARE THE SAME PERCEPTIONS OF EQUITY & RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION