There are many ways to explain everything that social relations entail, George C. Homans did it through his theory of social exchange, which is born of economic concepts and exchange, talks about how social interaction occurs and indicates what factors motivate us to do so. .
Thus, the theory of social exchange proposes that all relationships are formed, maintained or broken through a cost-benefit analysis, which leads us to make comparisons of the aforementioned alternatives and, finally, to choose the relationships that give us the greatest benefit at the global level. lower cost.
- This theory was highly appreciated among behavioral paradigms because it is possible to quantify and measure their simplicity.
- Over time and with the emergence of cognitive and constructivist paradigms.
- Has become obsolete.
- In this article we will analyze the theory of social exchange and the criticisms it has received.
- To know it better.
As mentioned above, the theory of social exchange revolves around the economic aspects of relationships, according to this theory, every time we have a relationship, we take stock of their costs and benefits and, depending on the outcome, value it more or less. In this way, by modifying our social interaction according to these standards, we will reach a state that will be widely satisfactory to us.
This theory is based on two principles underlying any reasoning
After observing these assumptions, the reasoning becomes obvious, according to them social relations are oriented towards a personal objective (individualism). In addition, achieving this goal should provide pleasure (hedonism), so it must be profitable.
It should be noted that this theory is derived from conductism, which is based on a paradigm of “stimulus-response”, without dealing with cognitive variables. In terms of social exchange, the stimulus of social relations would be represented by the costs and benefits that come from them. The answer to these stimuli would be simple: in the face of a negative balance, leave the relationship; faced with a positive hitter, keep it.
It is a very attractive theory in the behavioral age of psychology, however, after the emergence of cognitivism, he encountered serious problems and strong criticisms. Next, we will explore the errors and limitations of the theory of social exchange.
The first limitation that can be found in the theory of social exchange is its carefreeness by internal processes, it only takes into account the positive and negative stimuli received from others, but within the individual, there is a much more complex treatment that also deserves attention.
Another aspect that we can criticize in this theory is the validity of its two theoretical assumptions, the individualistic and hedonistic paradigms have become obsolete in the current psychological landscape, they have a series of errors that nullifies their validity.
When it comes to individualism, it is true that there is great concern for itself, and some of the social interaction is used for its own benefit. However, it is a mistake to say that all conduct is directed against the individual. Mutually supportive behaviors and the community greatly promote adaptation, so it is easy for non-individual behaviors to exist in nature. In addition, social identity studies show how we let go of our individuality to feel part of a group and how our goals change as a result.
As for the postulate hedonist there is an error of form, hedonism says that the purpose of leading a human being is pleasure, but we know that joy or even pleasure serves as an incentive to learn objective-oriented behavior. affirm that pleasure is the middle and the end. Pleasure is used to achieve pleasure. This largely becomes a redundancy that does not provide information.
As we have seen, the theory of social exchange is interesting for the study of social psychology, and has probably been useful in explaining some aspects of social interaction, but today it is far from an integrated theory of social reality in which human beings live.