TYPES OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

 Exchange Relationships
- There is expectation of balance in giving and taking of “benefits”
- Keeps track of each person’s contributions and makes sure everything is even
- Examples: business partners, group project
 Communal Relationships
- Less concerned about balance in “benefits”
- There is willingness and genuineness in giving without expecting in return
- Examples: married couples, family, friends

*Key difference lies on the reciprocity of “benefits” in the relationship

CONFUCIANISM AND DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

“A person can only become truly human when man attends to his social duties.”

“David Wong pointed out that Confucianism presupposes a “social conception of the persons”,
which refers to the view that human beings are “biological organisms and become persons by
entering into relationship with others of our kind.” He also pointed out that Confucians posit
human beings to be interdependent by nature, as human beings “need the help of others to
develop as agents””

THEORIES ON MAN AND SOCIETY

 SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY

- Developed by sociologist George Homans
- States that humans make social decisions based on perceived cost and benefits
- Maximizes benefits, minimizes costs
- Relationships can be terminated whenever the cost outweighs benefits or simply,
the person can’t gain benefits from the relationship anymore.
  ATTACHMENT THEORY
- British psychologist John Bowlby described attachment as a "lasting psychological
connectedness between human beings."
- Believes that people normally feel better when with people they have emotional
bonds with and will feel anxious when the said people are not around

 UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION THEORY

- Also known as Initial Interaction Theory, developed in 1975 by Charles
Berger and Richard Calabrese
- This is a communication theory which asserts that people need to gain information
about the other person prior to the communication to reduce uncertainty
- By gaining information, this gives people the possibility to predict others’
behavior, they can then deduct if they’re trustworthy or not
- Some of the assumptions of the associated with the theory is as follows
a. People experience uncertainty in interpersonal settings.
b. Uncertainty is an aversive state, generating cognitive stress.
c. When strangers meet, their primary concern is to reduce their uncertainty or
to increase predictability.

 EQUITY THEORY
- First developed in the early 1960s by behavioral psychologist John S. Adams
- Based on a principle that peoples' actions and motivations are guided by fairness
and that discrepancies in this fairness in the will spur them to try and redress it
- Highly relates to Exchange Relationship in which they both merit equal treatment

COMPONENTS OF A SATISFYING RELATIONSHIP

 SELF-DISCLOSURE
- Disclosure promotes trust and reduces uncertainty. According to the Uncertainty
reduction theory, reducing uncertainty through communication and uncovering
makes people more comfortable with each other due to the predictability of their
behavior therefore, building faith and confidence overtime.

 RESPECT AND ACCEPTANCE

- Respect and acceptance is known to be the foundation of relationships. Accepting
similarities and respecting differences is key in trusting your partners with yourself.

 CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIP
- To cultivate relationship, people should foster positive attributions and descriptions
together with the explanation of each other’s behavior. People should be willing to
adjust in respect and acceptance to their partners.

 PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCITY
The principle of reciprocity presupposes that each party will give equal respect to th
e laws and customs of the other (so-called
formal reciprocity), even though the laws and customs of various states with respect
to the rights and duties granted totheir citizens may differ substantially (so-
called material reciprocity).
 CONTINUITY
- Persistence in doing things accordingly. Any change in behavior might trigger some
doubt.