Equity theory

equity

fairness - both partners' profit in a relationship (rewards minus costs) should be roughly the same.

a lack of equity means..

one partner overbenefits and the other underbenefits, which leads to dissatisfaction

equity and equality

rewards and costs don't have to be the same (equal) for both partners, a partner who puts a lot into the relationship will be satisfied if they also get a lot out of it.

consequences of inequity

there's a strong positive correlation between perceived inequity and dissatisfaction

changes perceived in equity

greatest dissatisfaction comes from changes in perceived inequity as a relationship develops.

dealing with inequity

underbenefiting partners either work hard to restore equity OR they lower their standards so the relationship FEELS equitable even though nothing has changed.

2 possible adjustments when dealing with inequity

behavioural (working hard to achieve fairness) and cognitive (re-defining costs and rewards)

over-benefiters are likely to feel..

guilty

under-benefiters are likely to feel..

resentful

utne et al

through a self-report survey, they found that couples (between ages 16-45) who considered their relationship equitable were more satisfied than those who saw themselves as over/under-benefiting. supports equity theory

aumer-ryan et al

found that couples from individualistic cultures (US) found equitable relationships as most satisfying while couples from collectivist cultures (Jamaica) were most satisfied when over-benefiting. True for both sexes so can't be explained by gender differences. drawback for equity theory - eurocentric due to cultural differences.

huseman et al

suggests that some people are less concerned about equity than the 'norm'. partners can be benevolents, who are prepared to underbenefit, or entitleds, who believe they deserve to overbenefit without guilt/distress. contradicts equity theory as individuals have less concern about equity.