THEORIES OF INTERPERSONAL THEORIES OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPRELATIONSHIP

INTRODUCTIONTheories of Interpersonal Relationships:-• Attachment Theory• Social Exchange Theory• Equity Theory• Uncertainty Reduction Theory

SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY• Theory by: George Caspar Homans (1958)• Social behavior is an exchange of goods, material

goods but also non-material ones, such as the symbols of approval or prestige.

• Persons that give much to others try to get much from them, and persons that get much from others are under pressure to give much to them.

• All relationships have give and take, although the balance of this exchange is not always equal.

SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY• Social Exchange theory explains how we feel

about a relationship with another person as depending on our perceptions of:– The balance between what we put into the

relationship and what we get out of it.– The kind of relationship we deserve.– The chances of having a better relationship with

someone else.

CONCEPTS• COST vs REWARDS• In deciding what is fair, we develop

a comparison level (CL) against which we compare the give/take ratio.

• We also have a comparison level for the alternative relationships (Clal) .

CONCEPTS• OUTCOME LEVEL (OL)

OL = Rewards - Costs

• COMPARISON LEVEL (CL)Subjective standard

• COMPARISON LEVLE OF ALTERNATIVES (CLALT)CL of Next-Best Alternative

CONCEPTS• OL > CL Satisfied with the group

OL < CL Dissatisfied with the group

• OL > CLALT Remain in the group

OL < CLALT Leave the group

PROPOSITIONS• Actors in a situation will choose

whichever behavior maximizes profit.• Actors in situations where there are no

rewards will seek to minimize costs.• When immediate profits are equal,

actors look at long term profits• When long term profits are equal, actors

look at short term profits

UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY7 Axioms & 21 Theorems

• Theory By: Charles R. Berger and Richard J. Calabrese (1975)

• It was proposed to predict and explain relational development (or lack thereof) between strangers.

• Strangers, upon meeting, go through certain steps and checkpoints in order to reduce uncertainty about each other and form an idea of whether one likes or dislikes the other.

STAGES OF RELATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• ENTRY PHASE– Characterized by use of Behavioral Norms– Contents are Demographic & Transactional

• PERSONAL PHASE– Strangers explore Attitude & Belief of the other– Values, Morals & Personal issues– Emotional Involvement tends to increase

• EXIT PHASE– Future Interaction decided– Relationship Negotiation

AXIOMS OF URT• AXIOM 1: As strangers begin to talk to one

another, the level of uncertainty decreases. In turn, as the uncertainty decreases, the interactants will talk more.

• AXIOM 2: As nonverbal expressive communication increases, uncertainty levels decrease, and vice versa.

AXIOMS OF URT• AXIOM 3: High levels of uncertainty prompt

strangers to ask more questions of the other. As uncertainty decreases, so does the posing of questions.

• AXIOM 4: High levels of uncertainty in a relationship lead to less sharing and emotional intimacy. Low levels of uncertainty allow for more sharing and emotional intimacy.

AXIOMS OF URT• AXIOM 5: High levels of uncertainty lead to

more symmetrical question exchanges in interaction. As uncertainty decreases, so does the need for an equal exchange of talk.

• AXIOM 6: Personal similarity will decrease uncertainty about another, while dissimilarity will produce higher levels of uncertainty.

AXIOMS OF URT• AXIOM 7: An increase in uncertainty will lead

to a decrease in liking. A decrease in uncertainty will lead to an increase in liking.

Berger and Calabrese formulated 21 theorems deductively from their axioms…

MATERIALIZED BY:-

• Subhasis Hazra• Surabhi Bharti• Suraj Singh• Swabhi Singh• Swati Kasera

• Tushar Bahl• Umesh Kr. Gupta• Varun Agrawal• Varun Baisawar• Vivek Singh