PSYC 359 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture I. Finish up Verbal CommunicationII. Study on Chameleon Tendencies III. Beginning of InterdependencyOutline of Current Lecture I. Social Exchange TheoryII. InterdependencyIII. Types of RelationshipsIV. The nature of commitment Current LectureSocial ExchangeFour types of Relationships- 1. When outcomes exceed both CL and Clalt, it’s a happy and stable relationship- 2. When outcomes exceed Clalt but fall below CL, it’s a unhappy but stable relationship- 3. When outcomes exceed CL but fall below Clalt, it’s a happy but unstable relationship- 4. When outcome falls below both CL and Clalt, its an unhappy and unhappy stable relationship - Look at graphs in book and on slides- CL and Clalt as time goes byo Our Cls are based on our past experiences, and they can fluctuate along with the outcomeso Perhaps early on in life, you gain knowledge of your comparison level from your parents…you observe their relationship o Media also informs us of our relationships o CLs rise but outcomes becomes less satisfying, not because outcomes have changed but because expectations have gone upo If outcomes remain the same, the satisfaction might decreaseo Cultural changes may also have made our CLalts higher than ever before Population density change it Media…looking at old friends on fb and alternatives popping up all the time There are more options…career options etc. that impact relationship Higher population density in cities Costs of departing a marriage have decreased - Rewards and Costs over timeo Do we really add these things up? o Costs are particularly influential because bad is stronger than good - The Economies of Relationshipso Counting up the rewards and costs of a relationship provides information about its current state and likely future Costs are particularly influential because bad is stronger than good Rewards need to outnumber costs by at least 5-to-1 Relationship between rewards, costs, and CL leads to satisfaction vs dissatisfaction We want to gain and increase positive outcomes and people have to be motivated to do that…that’s the appetitive motivation that they talk about in book. The aversive motivation is to avoid negative things Dynamic situation that has to be regulatedo Exchange Relationships We help the other person- Our mood may become less positive. Our self-evaluation does not change, we like the other person who pays us back immediately The other person does us a favor- We don’t like the person who does not ask for immediate repayment We are working with the other person on a joint task- We want to make sure that our contribution can be distinguished from the other person’s contribution The other person may need some help- We keep track of the other persons needs only when we expect that person to have an opportunity in the near future to take care of our needs  These things are constantly changing and complex  Its important to work on something new and novel This constantly goes on in exchange relationships, you keep track of these gains and losses  We don’t notice all the costs at the beginning of the relationship because of the honeymoon period and confirmation biaso We want two things: Gain positive outcomes…this is an appetitive motivation Avoid negative outcomes…this is an aversive motivationo Are we really this greedy? Exchange versus communal relationships- In exchange relationships, people expect quick repayment of any favors or benefits that are providedo Immediate cost benefit analysiso Stricter reciprocity - In communal relationships, people do favors for each other without expecting explicit repaymento Work togethero Don’t make distinctions between what we do and what they doo We keep track of needs but don’t keep track of when that person will have opportunity in near future to take care of our needs o Long-term  Equitable Relationships- When equity exists, a relationship is fair - Each partner gains benefits from the relationship that are proportional to his or her contributions to it - Your outcomes/your contributions=your partners outcomes/your partners contributions- It’s a perceived value of the outcomes - Buss says the value of the contributions may be based on evolutionary theoryo Females contribute beauty and males contribute recourses Still equitable in some respect- Social explanationo Based on social roles theory and gender roles within a cultureo Gender difference in relationships When a partnership is inequitable- One partner is receiving too much, and is over benefitingo Leads to guilt and anxietyo But is preferred to under benefiting- Or the partner receives too little and is said to be under benefited- People might abandon relationship seeking fairness elsewhere- You can reestablish equity - Problem with this theory is, how do you determine equity? Who determine it? When is it determined?  One way to restore equity is to try harder, do nicer things, do more If both partners are prospering, does it even matter?- The Nature of Commitment o Commitment is the intention to continue a relationshipo Committed partners expect their relationship to continueo They take a long term viewo And they are psychologically attached to each other o Satisfaction increases commitmento According to the investment model of commitment….look on slideo Investment model Based on satisfaction level Quality of alternatives Investment size People stay with partners when they’re happy, when there’s no place elseto go, and it would cost too much to leaveo Types of commitment Value in distinguishing one from another Personal commitmento Consequences of commitment A sense of commitment leads partners to take action to protect and maintain their relationship- Accommodative behavioro Temporarily tolerating any provocation from ones partner without fighting back - Willingness to sacrifice- Perceived superiority o Your relationship is better than anyone