Editing Social exchange theory (section)

===Cost and rewards===
Simple social exchange models assume that rewards and costs drive relationship decisions.<ref name="georgetown2005"/> Both parties in a social exchange take responsibility for one another and depend on each other. The elements of relational life include:

'''Costs''' are the elements of relational life that have negative value to a person, such as the effort put into a relationship and the negatives of a partner.<ref>{{cite book
 | last1=West | first1=Richard
 | last2=Turner | first2=Lynn
 | year=2007
 | title=Introducing Communication Theory
 | pages=186–7
 | publisher=McGraw Hill}}</ref> (Costs can be time, money, effort etc.)

'''Rewards''' are the elements of a relationship that have positive value. (Rewards can be sense of acceptance, support, and companionship etc.)

As with everything dealing with the social exchange theory, it has as its outcome satisfaction and dependence of relationships. The social-exchange perspective argues that people calculate the overall worth of a particular relationship by subtracting its costs from the rewards it provides.<ref>{{cite book
 | last1=P.R. | first1=Monge
 | last2=N. | first2=Contractor
 | year=2003
 | title=Theories of communication networks
 | publisher=Oxford University Press}}{{page needed|date=October 2014}}</ref>

:{{math|Worth {{=}} Rewards − Costs}}

If worth is a positive number, it is a positive relationship. On the contrary, a negative number indicates a negative relationship. The worth of a relationship influences its outcome, or whether people will continue with a relationship or terminate it. Positive relationships are expected to endure, whereas negative relationships will probably terminate. In a mutually beneficial exchange, each party supplies the wants of the other party at lower cost to self than the value of the resources the other party provides. In such a model, mutual relationship satisfaction ensures relationship stability.<ref name="georgetown2005"/>

:{{math|Outcome {{=}} Rewards − Costs}}
Homans based his theory on [[behaviorism]] to conclude that people pursue rewards to minimize costs.  The "satisfactory-ness" of the rewards that a party gains from an exchange relationship is judged relative to some standard, which may vary from party to party.<ref name="Lambe, C. Jay 2001"/>