Equity theory

who came up with equity theory?

hatfield

what does equity theory suggest?

we are satisfied in relationships when what we get out of it is roughly equivalent to what we put in

what would a lack of equity in a relationship result in?

partners are either over/under-benefitted

what do people tend to feel when over-benefitted in a relationship?

guilty

what do people tend to feel when under-benefitted in a relationship?

angry and/or sad

how did schafer and keith (1980) conduct their supporting evidence for equity theory?

• 333 married couples

• equity/inequity measured as it occurred in five family roles: cooking, housekeeping, provider, companion, and parent

what were the results of schafer and keith’s (1980) supporting evidence for equity theory?

during child-rearing years, both wives and husbands reported a dip in marital satisfaction:

• many wives felt under-benefitted

• many husbands felt over-benefitted

during the honeymoon and retirement/empty nest stages, both perceived equity and felt satisfied with their marriages

how did schafer and keith’s (1980) study support their hypothesis?

marriage partners who feel inequity in the performance of marriage roles feel more distress than partners who perceive equity

how does huseman et al (1987) argue against the equity theory?

argues that not all relationships are concerned with achieving equity and that it depends on how equity sensitive the partners are

what is equity sensitivity?

determines the extent to which an individual will tolerate inequity

how did huseman suggest equity sensitive people might behave in relationships?

in accordance with equity theory → feel tension in the face of inequality

how did huseman suggest entitled people might behave in relationships?

prefer to be/don’t mind being over-rewarded

how did huseman suggest ‘benevolents’ might behave in relationships?

they are the givers and tend to be more tolerant of under-rewarded equity

do huseman’s (1987) findings sufficiently challenge equity theory?

only equity sensitives behave as predicted by equity theory and its not a universal feature of romantic relationships

how are there gender differences within equity theory?

women perceive themselves as more under-benefitted + less over-benefitted compared to men

which sex feels more disturbed at being under-benefitted?

women

which sex feels more guilt at being over-benefitted?

women

what can we conclude from findings about gender difference in equity theory?

women can be more sensitive to equity in romantic relationships

what are some limitations to findings on gender differences in equity theory?

lacks temporal validity → conducted in the 1980s when roles were more traditional = may reflect those times

what did aumer-ryan et al. (2007) find concerning cultural differences in equity theory?

concept of equity is more important in western cultures than non-western collectivist cultures e.g. jamaica

how does the capuchin monkey research support equity theory?

female capuchin monkeys became very angry if they were denied a reward of grapes in return for playing a game + when another monkey who hadn’t played the game was rewarded

what can we conclude from the capuchin monkey research?

suggests the perception of equity has ancient origins