Types of Relationships Social exchange Models

Types of relationships Social exchange models focus on quantity: The more (rewards, equity), the better (satisfaction, endurance). But is reward always necessary? What about qualita- tive differences among our relationships? Does more reward turn casual acquain- tances into friends and friends into lovers, or are these types of relationships different from each other?

exchange and Communal relationships According to Margaret Clark and others, people operate by a reward-based model when they are in exchange relationships, which are characterized by an immediate tit-for-tat repayment of benefits. In these situations, people want costs to be quickly offset by compensation, leaving the balance at zero. But not all relationships fit this mold. Clark maintains that in communal relationships, partners respond to each other’s needs and well- being over time and in different ways, without regard for whether they have given or received a benefit.

Exchange relationships typically exist between strangers and casual acquain- tances and in certain long-term arrangements, such as business partnerships. In contrast, strong communal relationships are usually limited to close friends, romantic partners, and family members. Based on field- work in West Africa, Alan Fiske is convinced that this distinction applies to human interactions all over the world. But the cynics among us wonder: Are communal relationships truly free of social exchange considerations? Can people really give without any desire to receive, or do partners in a communal relation- ship follow a more subtle version of social exchange, assuming that the benefits will balance out in the long run? Clark and Judson Mills believe that true communal relationships do exist—that once a communal norm has been adopted in a relationship, regardless of how it started, the motivation to respond to the other’s needs becomes automatic.