george c. homans, who died in 1989, developed one of the earliest versions of social exchange theory.
george c. homans, who died in 1989, developed one of the earliest versions of social exchange theory.
who that died in 1989 developed one of the earliest versions of social exchange theory?
george c. homans
the exchange theory is the "perspective that individuals seek to maximize their own private gratifications. it assumes that these rewards can only be found in social interactions and thus people seek rewards in their interactions with each other". homans's exchange theory propositions are partially based on b.f. skinner's behaviorism. homans took b.f. skinner's propositions about pigeon behavior and applied it to human interactions. the heart of homans's exchange theory lies in propositions based on economic and psychological principles. according to homans, they are psychological for two reasons: first, because they are usually tested on people who call themselves psychologists and second, because of the level at which they deal with the individual in society. he believed that a sociology built on his principles would be able to explain all social behavior. homans said, "an incidental advantage of an exchange theory is that it might bring sociology closer to economics" (homans 1958:598). overall, homan's exchange theory, "can be condensed to a view of the actor as a rational profit seeker." he regretted that his theory was labeled "exchange theory" because he saw this theory of social behavior as a behavioral psychology applied to specific situations. homans looked to émile durkheim's work for guidance as well, but often disagreed in the end with particular components of durkheim's theories. for example, durkheim believed that although individuals are clearly the component parts of society, society is more than the individuals who constitute it. he believed that society could be studied without reducing it to individuals and their motivations. homans, through his exchange theory, believed that individual beings and behavior are relevant to understanding society.
george c. homans
social exchange theory views exchange as a social behavior that may result both in economic and social outcomes. social exchange theory has been generally analyzed by comparing human interactions with the marketplace. the study of the theory from the microeconomics perspective is attributed to blau. under his perspective every individual is trying to maximize his wins. blau stated that once this concept is understood, it is possible to observe social exchanges everywhere, not only in market relations, but also in other social relations like friendship. social exchange process brings satisfaction when people receive fair returns for their expenditures. the major difference between social and economic exchange is the nature of the exchange between parties. neoclassic economic theory views the actor as dealing not with another actor but with a market and environmental parameters, such as market price. unlike economic exchange, the elements of social exchange are quite varied and cannot be reduced to a single quantitative exchange rate. according to stafford, social exchanges involve a connection with another person; involve trust and not legal obligations; are more flexible; and rarely involve explicit bargaining.
social exchange theory