Human relationships and interactions are complex subjects, and multiple theories try to explain their nature. Two such theories in sociology are called exchange theory and the theory of communicative action. The social exchange theory is based on the economic metaphor for the interaction between human beings. It operates with terms such as costs, rewards, profits, and losses that are involved in human relationships (Sandro, 2014). Therefore, social exchange theory offers a statement that people are motivated to maximize their benefits to have others more dependent on them. I disagree that this statement characterizes all relationships, as there are other considerations that might guide our interactions with others.
The economic approach expressed in the social exchange theory, nonetheless, can explain some cases of human relationships. For example, people within extended social circles that do not involve relatives or friends may pursue their benefits to gain more influence and, as a result, have more people that depend on them. However, this does not necessarily expand to the human interactions within families, where relationships and human interactions are motivated by unconditional love that does not seek any personal profits besides the well-being of the group. In such a relationship, the communicative action theory proposed by Jurgen Habermas can be applied (Sandro, 2014). The theory states that in order to understand each other, both sides of the information exchange should adhere to certain conditions. These conditions are based on the cooperative rational nature of the pursuit of mutual understanding. On the contrary, interactions which are based solely on the pursuit of certain actors’ success are considered non-cooperative. Therefore, the theory proposed by Jurgen Habermas is more applicable to real-life scenarios and has fewer limitations than the social exchange theory.
Reference
Sandro, S. (2014). Contemporary sociological thinkers and theories. Taylor and Francis.