Social Exchange Theory

Term Paper # 101352

Sociology > Theory

An application of the social exchange theory to explain the effect of the changing social roles on the family.

817 words () | 2 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how changing social roles can be seen in the way more women work outside the home today. The paper suggests that the way this change is taking place and how it affects human relations can be analyzed using social exchange theory. The paper also discusses how the evidence shows some uncertainty as to how marriage has been affected by this shift in social roles, looks at whether this shift has a beneficial or harmful effect on marriage and explains how social exchange theory can suggest reasons for each possibility.

From the Paper:

"The work of George Homans is tied to the psychological behaviorism of B.F. Skinner while the work of Peter Blau is more influenced by Simmel, but both Homans and Blau express concerns about the reliance of functionalism on values and norms to explain social behavior. Homans' sociology is individualistic and involves an attempt to build a theory of social life beginning with the basic behavioristic propositions of B.F. Skinner's psychology of operant conditioning. Homans believed that in everyday social interaction, individuals will act to gain rewards and avoid punishment."

Sample of Sources Used:

Blau, P.M. (1968). Social exchange. In D.L. Silk (ed), International encyclopedia of social science. New York:Macmillan. 452-457.
Seccombe, K. (1991, February). Assessing the costs and benefits of children: Gender comparisons among childfree husbands and wives. Journal of Marriage and the Family 53(1), 191-202.