In sociology and social psychology, social change and stability are a representation of the cost-benefit evaluation among different parties. The theory of social exchange is one which mainly applies to the logical and mathematical aspects of a relationship. Points are added or deducted in regards to the amount of effort that is being put in the relationship as well as the effort that the companion is putting to reciprocate (Cook, Cheshire, Rice & Nakagawa, 2013). Moreover, it applies to the case of how both parties in a relationship feel they deserve and their likelihood of ever finding a relationship that is better than that. Nevertheless, the social exchange theory does not only apply to romantic relationships but also to the professional field. One may have a feeling that their job is not satisfying to their emotional needs and may, therefore, decide to look for a better job which they think would be worth the same amount of effort or which they deserve. This paper looks into the application of social exchange theory in romantic relationships, how it affects both partners and the way they relate.
According to social psychologists, romantic relationships are explained by the use of economic terms of profit and loss. In this case, the two parties in a relationship seek to increase the rewards such as emotional support, sex, companionship, and praise while reducing costs such as compromises, arguments, time commitments, and stress. The idea of rewards and costs tend to be subjective whereby one thing may be costly to one person but is a reward to the other although the situation may change over time (Cook et al, 2013). According to social exchange theory, there are two levels that are used to assess the profitability of relationships.
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The first level is the comparison level which entails one’s idea of what they deserve in a relationship. Comparison levels are linked to the self-esteem of a person whereby people with high self-esteem tend to expect more in relationships while those with low self-esteem have lower expectations. The second level is the comparison level for alternatives which is concerned with the mentality that a person has on whether future relationships can be more rewarding than the current. In this case, people will stick to their current relationships as long as they seem more beneficial that alternative relationships.
References
Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R., & Nakagawa, S. (2013). Social exchange theory. In Handbook of social psychology (pp. 61-88). Springer, Dordrecht.
