The Social Exchange Theory : Catfish, By Ariel Schulman And Henry Joost

Society continues to misrepresent the benefits of being in a loyal relationship by relaying a negative message of a false sense of happiness. Through movies and sitcoms such as “If loving you is Wrong,” individual’s attention gives prominence into the life of deception as a source of entertainment. Alex (Brad) and Marci (Randle) live as neighbors in a small suburb town. The couples often spend a great deal of time together. While Marci and Brad are away working, Alex and Randal become more than neighboring friends. Alex as a homemaker and Randal as a psychologist they have more than enough time to entertain each other. The act of deceitfulness in their marriage causes a spiral effect for both couples in this sitcom. However, these sources

The social exchange theory controls our behavior as well as the reinforcement for our actions because before we act in most circumstances, we will weigh the rewards and costs of the behaviors. The behavior that we use is the one believed to produce the highest reward and the lowest cost. What we may perceive to be acceptable or unacceptable in the relationship is our comparison level that we weigh the rewards and costs against. The comparison level of alternatives is when we weigh the rewards and costs relative to the perceived alternatives. People also have a comparison level for the alternative relationships. With a high comparison level, we may believe the world is full of lovely people just waiting to meet us. When this level is low, we may stay in a high-cost relationship simply because we believe we could not find any better elsewhere. Molm (1991) shows that in recent research on individual judgments losses have a greater effect on people then gains.

Though one may favor exchange processes that conclude with a social association that values the idea of equality, however Blau states that exchange processes can “give rise to differentiation of power” (Blau 1964: 114), which results with relation to superordination and subordination. Blau explains this disequilibrium as a result of needs for resources from unlike partners and efforts among equals to gain advantages over the other (Blau 1964: 114). Relating to intrinsic rewards, if one counterpart gains a reward from the exchange, the other counterpart expects repayment in the form of future wards – hence the principle of reciprocity (Blau 1964: 121). Reciprocity between unlike counterparts creates this sense of imbalance

Social exchange theory includes the following concepts: success, stimulus, value, deprivation, satiation, aggression, and approval. Homans defined each of these concepts explicitly in his book and various articles. The success concept which he defines is the principle of reward. (Homans, 1983, p. 33) While stimulus is defined when a stimulus presents itself and it resembles a previously rewarded activity, that individual is likely to repeat that action again. (Homans, 1950, Chapter 4) Homans defined value as a system of rewards and punishments. (Homans, 1983, p. 32) Deprivation and satiation was defined as the more often a reward has recently been received, the less valuable further rewards become. And if forced for a long time to go without a certain reward, an individual will lose interest and move on. (Homans, 1983, p. 33) Lastly, aggression and approval falls under the principle of distributive justice. When behavior does not receive the expected reward the response is anger. Yet, when the individual receives a greater reward than what is expected or does not receive punishment he will be pleased. (Homans, 1950, Chapter 4).

“Catfish” directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman documents an online relationship between Nev Schulman and Abby Pierce, an 8-year-old artist prodigy. As their communications grow Abby’s family becomes involved and Nev talks with Megan, Abby’s sister, over the phone and they develop a relationship. It turns out that Angela, Abby’s mom, is behind all the characters Nev has talked to. She is also the one who painted all the paintings Nev thought Abby had painted. The film raises asks the question, who is actually on the other side of the screen? Whereas in “Connected, but Alone?” by Sherry Turkle explores the advancement in human relationship through technology. She warns that technology can not fulfill a human 's need for interaction. Both the article and the movie come together to show that physical communication is crucial to the well-being of any person; through their explanation of how our mistakes make us vulnerable, our need for truth in relationships, and how our fear of becoming lonely is making us lonely.

The primary theorists, John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, made a list of assumptions that the Social Exchange theory is based on. This list falls into two categories; one that focuses on individuals, and one that describes the social exchange between two people (Unger & Johnson 604). The assumptions that the Social Exchange theory makes are about human nature and the nature of relationships. The first, as mentioned earlier, is that of reward and punishment. Humans seek rewards and avoid

Relationships can have positive and negative outcomes, one has to overcome and improve and change to succeed in a positive relationship. As Richard M. Devos once said “Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none.” In the short story “Bluffing” by Gail Helgason money and communication show the importance of a successful relationship in Liam’s and Gabriella’s life. On the other hand in the short story “The Prospectors Trail” by Cathy Jewison money and communication were one of the conflicts throughout. The thesis of this essay is one should put their own opinions and views before others.

The Social Exchange theory applies to everyone at one time or another. We make exchanges with friends, family, and in the workplace. We cooperate with others and make reasonable decisions to achieve a reward. Sometimes we make sacrifices with the hope of receiving something of value in return in the future.

Watch the classical film Grease and one can understand how relationships function in Western Society. The film tells a story of a boy (Danny) and a girl (Sandy) who falls in love. Through a series of misunderstandings they break up, but still somehow care for each other. Through ballads such as Summer Night’s that are still popular today, the film shows how differently males and females view relationships. Films like Grease are like a mirror, reflecting societal values and how it socializes its members. It makes it clear that in relationships, males are socialized to view relationships as mostly a physical, sexual endeavor, while females view it as a perpetual bond –a deeper connection between the two individuals within a relationship.

Social Exchange Theory – Social behavior exchange theory is an exchange between parties as a representative of consent and status (Homans, 1958, p.

Social Penetration Theory (STP) explains the process of how relationships develop through self-disclosure. (Griffin, Ledbetter & Sparks 2015) Through self-disclosure, closeness develops as the relationship continues to grow. To present Social Penetration Theory, I am choosing to write about a personal experience on how my best friend Taylor and I became close. I will be explaining on how Taylor and I developed our relationship overtime through self-disclosure and personality structure. As Taylor and I’s relationship grew, I continued to get to know her until we reached a deeper level through observation. I will explain through terminology, steps and concepts on how Taylor and I’s relationship grew overtime.

Based on the theory of Functionalism, social order requires all institutions to work. The theory compares society to a body, and institutions to organs. If an organ (institution) is a failure than the others cannot operate properly (do their job.) Although school life and home life are separate, school success greatly depends on home stability. Micheals entire life was unstable, including his foster homes.

Compare and contrast the views of Goffman and Foucault on how social oreder is produced.

The ability to create relationships based solely on mutual understandings and shared common interests have fed the social

Interpersonal communication can be described as communication that occurs between two or more individuals. While communication can be either verbal, nonverbal, or written, interpersonal communication is more commonly practiced through face to face, verbal communication (Burton, 2011). The interpersonal communication process begins with a “sender”, which is the person that is communicating a message to another person. The “receiver” is the person that is retrieving the message from the sender. It is then the receiver’s job to interpret the message, and give feedback to the sender, allowing them to know that the message was received, and understood (Burton, 2011).