Social exchange theory views exchange as a social behavior that may result both in economic and social outcomes. According to this theory, developed by sociologist george homans, people weigh the potential benefits and risks of social relationships. Social exchange theory is a sociological and psychological theory that studies the social. Emerson and those whose work subsequently built on their original formulations. Homans born in boston, massachusetts august 11, 1910 homans entered harvard college in 1928 with an area of concentration in english and a free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. The key assumptions of exchange theory molm and cook 1995 include the following. Exchange theory article about exchange theory by the. Richard scott and craig calhoun p eter blau was a leading figure in sociology throughout the second half of the twentieth century, and by its end among the most cited of all active sociologists. This is in part due to emersons seminal theoretical work 1972. Systems of exchange values are defined on the basis of the theory of social. Behaviourprofit reward of interaction cost of interaction. Homans, blau, and emerson were the key theorists who developed the.
Social exchange theory of george homans and peter blau. The problem with concentrating on these specific works of homans and blau are that they result in a view of exchange theory as uniquely individualistic, totally ignoring. Social exchange theory has been generally analyzed by comparing human interactions with the marketplace. Homans believed that actions and behaviors are only enacted when there is a definite motive. Social exchange theory proposes that social behavior is the result of an exchange process. Social exchange theory was introduced in the 1960s by george homans. For instance, both homans and blau and exchange theorists more generally portray individuals as strategic actors who use the resources they have at their disposal in an effort to optimize their rewards. Exchange theory hamlin university of minnesota duluth. Homans 1961, comparison level thibaut and kelley 1959, and intrinsic attraction blau 1964, but emotions were subsidiary and undertheorized. Oct 06, 20 a presentation used on a merlot website. Today, with the exception of his seminal paper, social behaviour as exchange, which is commonly reprinted in anthologies of sociological theory, george c. Social exchange theory was introduced in 1958 by the sociologist 1 he defined social exchange as the exchange of activity, tangible or intangible, and more or less rewarding or costly, between at least two persons. While homans, blau, and thibaut and kelley wrote about how social exchange theory applies to behavior in groups or organizations, theory also has.
Pdf toward a theory of value richard m emerson notes on a theory of value. Emerson and those whose work subsequently built on their. Hitler marched into vienna in 1938,peters family was elected to stay,his sister was sent. Jan 20, 2010 social exchange theory posits that all human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective costbenefit analysis and the comparison of alternatives. After homans developed the theory, two other theorists.
The study of the theory from the microeconomics perspective is attributed to blau. Use the link below to share a fulltext version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Social exchange theory views social interaction as based on the mutual flow of resources or behaviors of value over time. Homans abst ract to consider social behavior as an exchange of goods may clarify the relations among four bodies of the ory. Social exchange theory states that people participate in behaviors that they find to be rewarding and they terminate behaviors that they find to be too costly appelrouth and edles, p. How social exchange theory applies to the workplace. While social exchange theory is found in economics and psychology, it was first developed by the sociologist george homans, who wrote about it in a 1958 essay titled social behavior as exchange.
Broadly defined, power refers to all kinds of influence between persons or groups, including. George casper homans august 11, 1910 may 29, 1989 was an american sociologist, founder of behavioral sociology and a major contributor to the social exchange theory homans is best known for his research in social behavior and his works. Social behavior as exchange, american journal of sociology 63. Peter michael blau1918 vienna, austria 2002 son of secular jews. The following document is an archived chapter from a previous edition of a first look at communication theory by em griffin, the leading college text in the field of communication theory all editions published by mcgrawhill. Exchange theory has been one of the major theoretical perspectives in the field of social psy chology since the early writings of homans 1961, blau 1964. Microprocess and macrostructure peter m blau linking power structure and.
Sociologist george homans 1961 and peter blau were the first to find out the theory of social exchange theory in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Social exchange theory is one of the major theories of social interaction in the social sciences. Homanss wellknown essay social behavior as exchange 1958 clarified the nature of this theoretical orientation and introduced it into mainstream sociology. Social exchange theory has its origins in the field of sociology in the work of george c. In fact, according to a recent study, its one of the most influential conceptual paradigms in organizational behavior. Social exchange theory and research on businesstobusiness relational exchange c. Social exchange theory is a theory associated with the work of george homans and peter blau and built on the assumption that all human relationships can be understood in terms of an exchange of roughly equivalent values. Since its publication as social behavior as exchange, several other theorists like peter blau, richard emerson, john thibaut, and harold kelley have contributed to the theory. Homanss wellknown essay social behavior as exchange 1958 clarified the nature of this theoretical orientation and introduced it.
The social exchange theory was established by george homans. This makes perfect sense, because we spend so much at our lives at our jobs. Exchange ideology also strengthens the effects of equal opportunity and attitudes i. Aug 20, 20 homans exchange theory is part of the andragogy video series and is available for free as an ibook for download on the ipad. George homans and peter blau to the development of social exchange theory in sociology see this volume, chapter x. Jan 14, 2020 while social exchange theory is found in economics and psychology, it was first developed by the sociologist george homans, who wrote about it in a 1958 essay titled social behavior as exchange. Homans left to the sociological world many works on social theory, and is best known for his exchange theory and his works on social behavior. Social exchange theory definitions and examples businesstopia. Hier gehen soziologische theoretiker etwa homans oder blau davon aus, dass immer.
A critique of exchange theory in mate selection1 michael j. This is the main premise of social exchange theory. Nov 01, 2017 behaviourprofit reward of interaction cost of interaction. Blau also saw social rewards and social benefits as being uniquely. Drawing from social exchange theory and the relational approach to social exchange relationships, we examine liking and competence judgments as predictors of dyadic viability, a new, complementary.
Homans developed this idea based off of skinners pigeon experiments and then applied it to humans. The theory is no longer covered in a full chapter of the current edition. He defined social exchange as the exchange of activity, tangible or intangible and more or less rewarding or costly, between at least two people. Peter blau was a leading figure in sociology throughout the second half of the twentieth century, and by its end among the most cited of all active sociologists. This chapter presents an overview of the main theories of social exchange focusing on the key contributors in sociology, including george homans, peter blau, richard m. Apr 20, 2018 the genesis of social exchange theory goes back to 1958, when american sociologist george homans published an article entitled social behavior as exchange. His major contributions were to the study of macrosocial structureanalyzing the largescale systems of organizations, social classes, and the dimensions. Later, sociologists peter blau and richard emerson further developed the theory. For blau 1964 1986, as for emerson 1972, there was a clear connection between power and social exchange. George homans, john thibaut, harold kelley, and peter blau. Its elementary forms, his exchange theory and the many different propositions he made to better explain social behavior. Blau stressed the significance of rewards in inducing others to acceded to ones wishes. Peter blau 1964 greatly expanded on the importance of the social context to which economic and exchange principles were being applied. Exchange principle an overview sciencedirect topics.
As heath 1976 argues, the basic foundation of microeconomics has much in common with some variants of social exchange theory. Sep 30, 2014 according to exchange theory, we as individuals are motivated out of selfinterest and that we make decisions based on maximizing our rewards or profits and minimizing our costs. An incidental advantage of an exchange theory is that it might bring sociology closer to economicsthat. The title of the ibook is andragogy is not adult pedagogy. Blau argued that such interaction is shaped by a reciprocal exchange of rewards,both tangible and intangible like homans. Social exchange theory by george homans essay 1699 words. The approach also draws upon economics and behavioural psychology, viewing individuals as always seeking to maximize rewards from their interactions with others see also homans.
Blaus social exchangetheorysinem bulkanorganisational behaviour 2. Heath, a british sociologist, also sees rational choice and social exchange theory as the same approach, although he is critical of homans and blau and prefers to use the former term. Much of social life involves interactions between individuals or corporate actors in dyads, groups, organizations or networks that can be viewed as social exchanges. John thibaut and harold kelley wrote about social exchange theory in their 1959 book a social psychology of groups. Social exchange theory project gutenberg selfpublishing. At its most basic, social exchange theory may be viewed as providing an economic metaphor to social relationships. The paradigm of social exchange theorywhich borrows from behavioral psychology, sociology, and classical economicsseeks to explain the development, maintenance. Social exchange theory in psychology verywell mind. Mar 20, 2014 the social exchange theory was established by george homans. Social behavior as exchange 1958 made a conscious effort to identify and ad.
The social exchange theory is founded on the idea that human behaviour or social interaction is an exchange process involving tangible and intangible costs and rewards homans, 1961. The origin of blaus vision of social behavior was not behaviorism, as in homans case. Homans 1958 famous paper entitled social behavior as exchange laid the foundations of this orientation to the study of behavior. Homans exchange theory is part of the andragogy video series and is available for free as an ibook for download on the ipad.
History of the theory social exchange theory was developed in the year 1958, by the sociologist george homans. Homans studies focused on dyadic exchange while thibaut and kelley centered on the dyad and the small group. Social exchange theory by jonathan liu 64 california sociology forum, 2012, vol. Homans in social behavior as exchange 1958 made a conscious effort to identify and advance this point of view. Social exchange theory posits that all human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective costbenefit analysis and the comparison of alternatives. Social exchange theory iowa state university digital repository. Peter michael blau february 7, 1918march 12, 2002 by w. In the immediate years that followed, other studies expanded the parameters of homans.
His major contributions were to the study of macrosocial structure. Social exchange theory was created by george homans in 1958. Exchange theory views actors person or firm as dealing not with another actor but with a market emerson,1987, p. Peter blau and richard emerson continued to write about it. The theory has roots in economics, psychology and sociology. Blau maintained simmels assertation that every interaction a performance, aconversation, or even a romantic affair can be understood as a form of exchange inwhich the participant gives the other more than he had. In 1961, he amplified his argument in social behavior. The impact he had on his students and colleagues and people he came in contact with is described by charles tilly in george caspar homans and the rest of us. In the last 30 years, however, emotion as a relevant phenomenon to exchange theorizing has receded further into the background.
This reading is likely the single most famous synopsis of exchange theory. Social exchange theory is also applicable to the workplace. Blau expanded on homans work in exchange and power in social life in 1964. The social exchange framework was formally advanced in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the work of the sociologists george homans 1961 and peter blau 1964 and the work of social psychologists john thibaut and harold kelley 1959.
After homans founded the theory, many theorists such as richard emerson, john thibaut, harold kelley and peter blau continued to write about the theory. The purpose of this exchange is to maximize benefits and minimize costs. In terms of social behavior, a sociologist is interested in what determines changes of the behavior of an individual. The impact of exchange modes on interemployee knowledge sharing pdf. Social exchange theory by george homans academic passion. Hitler marched into vienna in 1938,peters family was elected to stay,his sister was sent to england on thekindertransport. The social exchange theory assumes that even though the benefits exchanged need not be tangible, these benefits exchanged between the parties involved in this. George homans was an american sociologist that founded the exchange theory.
An analysis of the social relationships that occur according to the cost and reward is one characteristic of the exchange theory. Rational choice, deterrence, and social learning theory in. Social exchange theory is a viable theoretical framework to examine relational processes in marital and familial relationships. For a lengthy critique of blaus use of microeconomic reasoning see heath, 1976, among others. Exchange and power in social life, though it also is reflected in some of the more recent work in sociology e. Social exchange theory an overview sciencedirect topics.
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