Social Exchange Theory

I believe that the Social Exchange Theory is the most plausible theory relating to family and marriage. Marriage is an agreement between people for social, economic, and emotional purposes. All decisions in a marriage evaluate the costs and benefits that it will provide to the partners. The theory suggests that people are rational beings and make rational decisions based on an analysis of the benefits versus the cost. While humans do make irrational decisions, most decisions made in a marriage are rational, as stated in the theory. The method of decision making weighs the costs to the benefits and allows for appropriate selection. For example, if a mother with children wants to leave her husband but knows that it will negatively impact her children she may decide to stay in order to benefit the children. That is why I selected this photograph. The scale shows that each rational decision must be made using a cost-benefit analysis.