Reward/need satisfaction theory

Reward/need satisfaction (Byrne and Clore) Main theory

People enter relationships with a range of needs- 

Biological: sex and reproduction, food and home from shared income, physical intimacy.
Emotional: feeling loved and accepted, giving and receiving affection.
Social: company, someone to share experiences with.

Reward/need satisfaction theory argues that we are attracted to people who are rewarding or satisfying to be with, it is a behaviourist theory, using condtioning to explain attraction:

Operant conditioning  is learning from consequences. If we find someone rewarding to be around (positive reinforcement) we will want to spend more time with them. For example people who pay us compliments. Byrne and Clore suggest that the things we find rewarding reflect our unmet needs, so we are more likely to be attracted to people who fulfil those needs.

Classical conditioning is learning by association. Byrne and CLore argued that we like people…