The theory of social exchange

There are many ways to explain everything that social relationships imply. George C. Homans did this through his theory of social exchange. This theory, born from economic concepts and exchange, tells us about how social interaction occurs and tells us what factors motivate us to do so.

So, Social exchange theory advocates that all relationships are formed, maintained or broken due to a cost-benefit analysis. Which leads to making comparisons of the proposed alternatives and finally, opting for those relationships that provide us with greater benefit at a lower cost.

This theory was highly valued among behavioral paradigms for being susceptible to quantifying and measuring, and for its simplicity. But over time and with the appearance of cognitive and constructivist paradigms, it has become obsolete. In this article we are going to analyze the theory of social exchange along with the criticisms it has received, to understand it in greater depth.

Characteristics of social exchange theory

As we mentioned above, social exchange theory revolves around the economic aspects of relationships. According to this theory, Every time we have a relationship we take stock of its costs and benefits and depending on the result we will value it more or less. In this way, by modifying our social interaction according to these standards we will achieve a state that is largely satisfactory for us.

The costs They involve things that we perceive as negative. For example, if we have a friend who always borrows money from us and doesn’t pay it back, this could be seen as a high cost.The benefits They are things we get from the relationship, like fun, companionship, and social support. A friend may be of little use, but they can give us a lot of fun and excitement. Thus, we may decide that the benefits outweigh the potential costs.

From this theoretical perspective, positive relationships are those in which the benefits exceed the costs. While negative ones occur when the costs are greater than the benefits.

Another characteristic of this theory is that it is based on two principles that support all its reasoning:

Individualism: This principle postulates that all behavior is always directed towards the individual. Even purely social acts would be nothing more than intermediate behaviors for an individual goal.Hedonism: The ultimate goal of the human being is to achieve satisfaction and pleasure. So all behavior will be focused towards achieving said pleasure.

After observing these two postulates, the reasoning becomes obvious. Since, according to this, social relations are oriented towards a personal goal (individualism). And, furthermore, the achievement of that goal must provide pleasure (hedonism), so it must be profitable in terms of cost-benefits.

It must be taken into account that this theory derives from behaviorism, which It is based on a “stimulus-response” paradigm without considering cognitive variables.. In the theory of social exchange, stimuli about social relationships would be represented by the costs and benefits derived from them. The response to these stimuli would be simple: in the face of a negative balance, leave the relationship and in the face of a positive balance, maintain it.

This is a theory that was very attractive during the behaviorist era of psychology. However, After the appearance of cognitivism, it encountered serious problems and strong criticism. Next, we will explore the errors and limitations of social exchange theory.

Principles of social exchange theory

Redmond (2015) states that there are five guiding principles of this theory:

Behavior can be explained in terms of costs, rewards, and exchanges. People seek to maximize rewards and minimize costs in pursuit of the greatest gain and pleasure. Social interaction involves two parties exchanging rewards based on each other’s needs. Social exchange theory can be used to explain the development and management of interpersonal relationships. Social exchanges affect relationships between members of groups and organizations.

According to this theory, social exchanges strengthen group structures, as those who can give advice are rewarded with respect, prestige, or possibly reciprocal action from the person receiving the help.

Authors of the Social Exchange Theory

Two of the greatest exponents of the Theory of Social Exchange were George Homans and Peter Blau. Both developed their theory in the sixties of the last century.

For Homans (1961), all human behavior of a social nature is an exchange. According to the author, a relationship between two people exists if both expect to obtain a reward from it. And the maintenance of this relationship occurs if your hopes are confirmed. In this way, all activities have the characteristic of exchange.

Homans states that “The interaction between two people that takes place spontaneously is a social exchange where we see success, satisfaction, value and rationality.».

Blue (1964) postulates that a large number of social behaviors are part of an exchange. Some of these behaviors are more primitive and prior to the exchange and others are more elaborate and after it. Social Exchange, according to Blau, is made up of «the voluntary actions of individuals that obey the results that they are expected to provide and that, generally, provide».

Criticisms of social exchange theory

The first limitation that we can find to the theory of social exchange is its little concern for internal processes.. It only takes into account the positive and negative stimuli received from others, but inside the individual there is a much more complex processing when an attitude towards a person is generated.

Another aspect that we can criticize this theory is the validity of its two theoretical postulates. Both the individualistic and hedonistic paradigms have become outdated in the current panorama of psychology.. These have a series of theoretical errors that undermine their validity.

Regarding individualism, it is true that there is great concern for oneself and that part of social interaction is used for one’s own benefit. But it is a mistake to say that all behavior is directed in favor of the individual. Mutual support behaviors and community greatly favor adaptation, so it is easy for non-individual behaviors to exist in nature. Furthermore, studies on social identity show us how we abandon our individuality to feel part of a group and how our goals change because of it.

Regarding the hedonistic postulate, a formal error occurs. Hedonism tells us that the goal of human behavior is pleasure. But we know that joy or pleasure itself serves as an incentive to learn goal-directed behaviors. So, This leads us to affirm that pleasure is the means and the end. Pleasure serves to achieve pleasure. This largely becomes a tautology that provides no information.

To conclude, the theory of social exchange is interesting to know for the study of social psychology. And perhaps it was useful when explaining certain aspects of social interaction. But right now, It is far from an integrated theory about the social reality that human beings experience.

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