preview

Relational Model 's Theory Of Social Life Essay

Better Essays

Introduction Alan Page Fiske catalyzed the advocacy of the relational model 's theory (RMT) in 1991. The theory states that there are four natural ways of interrelating with other people. The author established the four models in his article structures of social life. Fiske affirms that the models work together in varying combinations and control almost all transactions by human beings (Bolender, 2010, p.60). He further asserts that the models unify ideas on moral judgment, social justice, religious, political ideology, and social conflict. It also informs the reactions to misfortunes and transgression. He explains that they are the foundation of human sociality (Bolender, 2010, p.60). The four models of relations as identified by Fiske include market pricing, equality matching, authority ranking, and communal sharing. The theory suggests the four models as the first cognitive models which represent, comprehends, evaluates, and constructs social relationships (Haslam, 2004, p.3). Therefore, the models do not define the type of relationships that exists between individuals in principle; the models are not empirically independent but are a contingent matter regarding the degree of their association as they operate in a culture (Fiske and Fiske, 2007, p.284). The culture adopted by different communities varies according to the combination of the four models. Fiske (1999) argues that everyone except the person with mental incapacitation who will confuse the models understands

Get Access