Sunday, November 4, 2012
Social Exchange Theory
I found the social exchange theory to be very relatable. I
have been in a couple long-term relationships and as a young women, you tend to
rate your relationships and analyze them to see if you are still happy in your
relationships after a long period of time. The social exchange theory states
that people evaluate their interpersonal relationships in terms of their value,
which is created by costs and rewards associated with the relationship. I think
where you run into problems in your relationship is when you rate your
relationship satisfaction, based on previous experiences, because your
comparing your boyfriends to your ex then you think about how your ex did one
thing that your current boyfriend doesn’t. I also think that rating your
relationship on relationship commitment level, such as rewards, or costs of
alternatives can be useful because it allows you to see that your getting back
what your putting into the relationship. Not saying that you need to be spoiled
with goods, or money but making sure that your not putting more into the
relationship then your significant other. This can lead to feeling unsure in
your relationships.
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Great post Britt Victoria! I also like yourself have been in a relationship and dated a few guys and I could not relate more to the part where you mentioned comparing one ex to another. I feel that we all as women do that, not because we mean to be selfish or anything but because we carry thoughts and feelings from one relationship to the next. For example we may have had a dishonest former boyfriend and therefore that causes us to measure the new interest or significant other up against him through weighing the pros and cons of the relationship itself. I completely agree that we may go through relationships be it with friends or a love interest and feel unsure due to over-thinking and comparing people to others. However ultimately we have to learn for ourselves that every relationship is different and will have its own unique ups and downs.
ReplyDeleteHi Britt Victoria, I liked reading your post this week. I really liked how you gave specific examples about your relationships in the past and how they applied to the social exchange theory. This theory has to do with how people evaluate their interpersonal relationships in terms of their value. Every relationship has costs and rewards. I think it is important for people in the relationship to evaluate the costs and rewards because that is a good way to determine if the rewards outweigh the costs. If the costs are higher, then I think a reevaluation of the relationship would need to occur. Nice work!
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