Name of Concept
Quid pro quo in social exchange theory
Synonyms
Reciprocity; “Tit-for-tat”
Introduction
Quid pro quo in social exchange theory integrates behavioral reinforcement and quasi-economic principles to understand the development and maintenance of interpersonal dynamics. Relationships are considered a social “exchange” that is governed by reciprocal transactions. Emerson (1976) referred to this theoretical framework as the “economic analysis of noneconomic social situations.” Moreover, it has been proposed that all interpersonal interactions can be reduced to the exchange of “resources” (Homans 1958). Resources extend beyond tangible goods and services such as money and division of labor to include less tangible, socioemotional resources such as love, companionship, or respect. Additionally, resources can exist on both a microlevel such as occupational status or individual attributes and on a macrolevel such as cultural factors or community norms (Levinger 1976). Quid pro...
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Balderrama-Durbin, C., Butler, S., Wang, B.A. (2019). Quid Pro Quo in Social Exchange Theory. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_52
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