When most people think about interaction they think of people they see every day, friends, family, coworkers, and generally they want those interactions to be positive. What most people do not realize is their relationships can be related to social exchange and equity theory. In social exchange theory and equity theory, both deal with the costs and benefits aspect of a relationship. The main difference is while the social exchange theory seeks to maintain a relationship as long as the benefits outweigh the costs, equity theory states that both people in the relationship should benefit, both benefits and costs should be balanced. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences between the social exchange theory and the equity theory, as well as give a detailed critique of the exchange theory. Social Exchange Theory According to Corcoran (2013) social exchange theory happens when individuals weigh the potential risks and benefits of a social relationship. When the risks outweigh the benefits the individual will not proceed with the relationship. One example of social exchange theory could be a date. If a guy was to ask a girl out on a date and she says ‘yes’ then the man is likely to feel that he has gained a reward and will likely ask someone on a date again. But if the girl said ‘no’ then the man may feel embarrassed and will likely shy away from asking a girl again. Social exchange theory can also be described as one person trying to get everything out of the relationship that they can without giving little or even nothing back. This is very interesting in the sense that people do this every day in daily interactions without even realizing they are taking place in the social exchange theory. The idea of se... ... middle of paper ... ...eir relationships. This theory has predictive power in that it predicts that when outcomes are perceived to be greater individuals self-disclose more. It is amazing to me that since learning about the social exchange theory I can now see that it can be applied to almost any situation. People act with other people in fully realizing that their acts will be noticed and in some way shared. After doing this research I can fully say that social exchange theory was my favorite to learn about. The main point that I take away from social exchange theory is I think that one of the strengths is that it does very closely describe and give us an idea of one of the foundations of a relationship. I think that the reward part of the relationship and cost is one of the reasons relationships are started or stopped. The social exchange theory does a good job of explaining that.
I have learned that, interpersonal relationships are difficult to maintain. I often ask myself why, relationships require so much work. Why do I, stay in a relationship where the bad outweighs the good? The social exchange perspective argues, according to Monge & Contractor, as cited by West & Turner that “People calculate the overall worth of a particular relationship by subtracting its cost from the rewards it provides.”
Charles Johnson, in his philosophical fable “Exchange Value” traces the cause of social inequality by illustrating two African American brothers, Cooter and Loftis’ fateful tragedy. Influenced by James Coleman, Jonathan Little, and Asraf Rushdy’s previous work, Linda Ferguson Selzer draws Karl Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism in her analysis of Johnson’s short story. In “Charles Johnson’s ‘Exchange Value’: Signifying on Marx” (2001), Selzer explains that under capitalism, the society praises the “exchange value” of an object over its “use value”, thus compelling one to prioritize his pursuit of objects at the expense of freedom, morality, or even life (Marx 126). Likewise, in Lauren Berlant’s “Cruel Optimism”, the brothers become excessively obsessed with the “promises” of wealth, so that instead of spending the money for the betterment of life, they “hoard against death” (Berlant 41).
Social exchanges sometimes involve an unavoidable time lag between promise and delivery (Macy & Skvoretz, 1998)
Canevello, A., & Crocker, J. (2010). Creating good relationships: Responsiveness, relationship quality, and interpersonal goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(1), 78-106.doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0018186
One example of the “Social Learning Theory” is the Bobo doll experiment conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961. In this experiment children were either exposed to an adult exhibiting aggressive behavior or non-aggressive behavior towards the doll. When it came time for the children to interact with the doll, the children who were exposed to aggressive behavior were more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior (Nolen, n.d.).
The Social Bond Theory is concerned with the functions that social relationships play in people’s lives and the bonds they develop with others and institutions to avoid criminal behavior (Walsh 81). There are four elements to the Social Bond Theory. The first is attachment. This is the emotional bond that is developed with social environments and individuals like your family, friends, and school. Attachment leads people to feel they are appreciated, accepted, and loved.
First I would like to look at Georg Simmel, who puts emphasis of the importance of interaction between people. As he mentions in
The role of social influence plays a big part of our lives and with the social control theory it allows people to understand just how important it is for individuals to be involved with the social world around them. Social control theory originates from the
The definition of the Social Exchange theory in very simple language is a model describing an exchange of benefits. In the case of the Social Exchange theory, these benefits need not be monetary or tangible, but certainly could be, if that was what was needed (Molm, 2006, p.30). According to Linda Molm, “People depend on one another for much of what they need and value in social life, and they provide these benefits to each other through the process of social exchange” (Molm, 2006, p.24). The longer definition and the focus of the Social Exchange framework as defined by Linda Molm are “the benefits that people obtain from, and contribute to, social interaction and the opportunity structures and interdependencies that govern those exc...
Emerson, E. M. (1976) Social Exchange Theory. Annual Review of Sociology Vol. 2 (pp. 335-362)
“If you look back to the original social learning theory, you find it is largely about people learning from each other, and it shows how technology is not part of the equation. Social learning theory has four elements,
Social psychologist references several theories for the explanations of prosocial behavior. Norms theories; pro-social behavior is that which benefits society and we help others because we are motivated to act in accordance with the norm of helping those in need (Clarke, 2003, p.24). Reciprocity norm: maintaining fairness in relationships; People might learn that if they supply help, they will receive help in return (Fiske, 2010, p. 345); norm of social responsibility: people are responsible for one another’s welfare (Fiske, 2010, p. 368); norm of social justice: we should help only when others deserve assistance. Another theory is the theory of norm activation; and it attempts to predict when people will
An episode that best characterizes the Social Exchange theory is one that involves my ex-girlfriend, and myself. We had been having our share of problems when, one day, every argument and disagreement we had culminated into this moment when everything just seemed to explode. She had been angry with me for having left San Diego to attend school in Santa Barbara and I was angry with her for her being angry. I wanted support, and instead, all I received was a guilt trip about how I was never there for her. After five minutes of talking, or rather complaining, we both agreed to disagree. In that instant the two of us had the realization, as many couples do, that it just was not working and the negatives far outweighed the positives. There was no minimizing the negative outcomes because everything had a negative ending. Later, the Social Exchange theory will be
... the self-efficacy and self-esteem of certain individuals, leading to more satisfying and fulfilling life that is built on better personality traits, I feel that Social Learning Theory can be applied to many situations.
Social interactions are the manner in which we socialize and react to other people. Social interaction has been around humanity since the beginning. It is so important that without it, settlements and groups wouldn’t have formed the way we know it today. It is the building block of society, people get together and design rules, institution and select officials to guide their way of living. It means interaction is social relationship among the individuals. It is a sort of action and reaction position among the people. It involves the acts that people do to others and the return the expect. Social interaction consists of many concepts which are: Exchange, competition, cooperation, conflict and coercion.