Social Exchange Theory (SET)- Kurdek and Schmitt - AQA PSychology A/AS level

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Social Exchange Theory (SET)- Kurdek and Schmitt - AQA PSychology A/AS level

Advantages

  • use of a fairly even spread of heterosexual and homosexual couples - and limited extraneous variables such as children which may have impacted on perceptions of their relationships - allows more higher generalisability
  • other research to support comparison levels for alternatives: study of dating couples found consistent negative correlation between relationship satisfaction and commitment and presence of alternatives - doesn't determine causation - does dissatisfaction lead to searching for alternatives or does finding an alternative(better offer) lead to dissatisfaction?
  • application - people in unsuccessful marriages report a lack of positive behaviour and an excess of negative exchange - Integrated Behavioural Couples Therapy attempts to increase the amount of positive exchange essentially working to increases the benefits in a relationship - study of IBCT found 2/3 of couples improved their relationship quality

Disadvantages

  • difficulty in determining what constitutes a cost or benefit - constant praise and attention may be considered a benefit for some but others may find it annoying, hence a cost making it difficult to measure and study the theory - individuals may also change their mind about what is a cost and what is a benefit
  • may be a better theory for less personal relationship as it assumes individuals are continually measuring cost and benefit and assessing whether benefits outweigh the cost or not
  • suggests that people stay in relationships only if the benefits outweigh the cost which doesn't correspond with abusive relationships - however could be argued that fear of leaving, or children's safety above their own needs is more of a benefit
  • could be explained by equity theory - would a person really be happy in a relationship if they received all the benefits
  • could also be explained by investment model of relationship which could offer explanations for holes in SET such as people being in relationships where the cost outweigh the benefits - investment model could explain it as they may have children (an investment)

Evaluation

soft determinism in that people's past experiences dictates comparison level

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