4002984
Description
Mind Map by Aryana Sad, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Aryana Sad
about 9 years ago
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Maintenance of
Relationships
- Social Exchange Theory
(Thibaut & Kelley, 1959)
- Suggests relationships are a series of exchanges
- Individuals try to maximise
reward & minimise cost
- Commitment to the relationship is dependent
on the profitability of the outcome; more
profitable = more likely to succeed
- To calculate profitability, the individual needs
to develop a comparison level (CL); a standard to
judge the quality of our existing relationships
- The comparison level is a product of
our experiences in other relationships,
together with general views
- If profitability exceeds CL,
relationship judged as worthwile
- If profit lower than CL, individual
will be dissatisfied and may
choose to terminate relationship
- If profitability exceeds CL,
relationship judged as worthwile
- Comparison Level For Alternatives (CLA): individual weighs up a
potential increase in profitability from an alternative partner,
minus costs associated with ending current relationship
- If expected profitability is higher, can
result in individual ending current
relationship and entering a new one
- Support can be found by looking at how people
in a relationship deal with potential alternatives
- Simpson et al (1990) asked participants to rate members of
the opposite sex in terms of attractiveness; participants
already involved in a relationship gave lower ratings
- Social Exchange Theory does not explain why some people leave
relationships despite having no alternative, nor does it suggest
how great the disparity in CL has to be to become unsatisfactory
- Suggests that people judge prospects of
alternative relationships as less profitable if
they are already in a committed relationship
- Social Exchange Theory does not explain why some people leave
relationships despite having no alternative, nor does it suggest
how great the disparity in CL has to be to become unsatisfactory
- Simpson et al (1990) asked participants to rate members of
the opposite sex in terms of attractiveness; participants
already involved in a relationship gave lower ratings
- If expected profitability is higher, can
result in individual ending current
relationship and entering a new one
- The comparison level is a product of
our experiences in other relationships,
together with general views
- To calculate profitability, the individual needs
to develop a comparison level (CL); a standard to
judge the quality of our existing relationships
- e.g. Rewards: social support,
fun and companionship
- e.g. Costs: effort, financial
investment & wasted time
- Notion of exchange used to
explain why some women
stay in abusive relationships
- Rusbult & Martz (1995) argue that when investments are high (e.g. children,
financial security) and alternatives are low (e.g. poverty, homelessness) this
could still be considered a profitable situation and will remain in relationship
- Rusbult & Martz (1995) argue that when investments are high (e.g. children,
financial security) and alternatives are low (e.g. poverty, homelessness) this
could still be considered a profitable situation and will remain in relationship
- Commitment to the relationship is dependent
on the profitability of the outcome; more
profitable = more likely to succeed
- Individuals try to maximise
reward & minimise cost
- Reductionist: Ducks & Sants (1983) criticised for focusing too much on
the individual's perspective and ignoring social aspects of a relationship,
such as how partners communicate and interpret shared events.
- Cultural Bias: The hedonistic (selfish) nature of the
theory may only apply to individualist cultures.
- Moghaddam (1998) suggests 'economic' theories only apply to
Western relationships, and only to short-term relationships among
individuals with high social mobility such as students in Western
societies. However long-term relationships within less mobile
populations are more likely to value security than personal profit.
- Moghaddam (1998) suggests 'economic' theories only apply to
Western relationships, and only to short-term relationships among
individuals with high social mobility such as students in Western
societies. However long-term relationships within less mobile
populations are more likely to value security than personal profit.
- Real-World Application: Individuals in unsuccessful
marriages frequently report a lack of positive behaviour
exchanges with partner, and excess of negative exchanges.
- Gottman & Levenson (1992) found that in successful marriages,
ratio of positive to negative exchanges around was 5:1, in
unsuccessful marriages the ratio was around 1:1 or less.
- Primary goal of relationship therapy may be to increase
proportion of positive exchanges within a relationship
and decrease proportion of negative exchanges.
- Integrated Behavioural Couple Therapy (IBCT)
(Jacobson et al, 2000) helps partners to break
negative patterns of behaviour that cause
problems thus making eachother happier.
- Christensen et al (2004) treated over 60 couples using ICBT;
found that around two-thirds reported significant
improvements in the quality of their relationships as a result.
- Christensen et al (2004) treated over 60 couples using ICBT;
found that around two-thirds reported significant
improvements in the quality of their relationships as a result.
- Integrated Behavioural Couple Therapy (IBCT)
(Jacobson et al, 2000) helps partners to break
negative patterns of behaviour that cause
problems thus making eachother happier.
- Primary goal of relationship therapy may be to increase
proportion of positive exchanges within a relationship
and decrease proportion of negative exchanges.
- Gottman & Levenson (1992) found that in successful marriages,
ratio of positive to negative exchanges around was 5:1, in
unsuccessful marriages the ratio was around 1:1 or less.
- Suggests relationships are a series of exchanges
- Equity Theory
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