Jane Traupmann

Equity and Intimate Relations: Recent Research

Equity theory is a social psychological theory concerned with justice in all interpersonal relationships. Until recently, however, equity principles have been examined only in casual role relations (i.e., employer-employee, philanthropist-recipient, and harmer-victim relations) and have not been examined in more personal relations (see Walster (Hatfield), Walster, & Berscheid, 1978). The distinction between role relationships and personal relationships is a long-standing and important one (see Cooley, 1902; Tonnies, 1887). Given the importance of primary, intimate relations, it would be a grave omission to overlook such relations in theory and research on interpersonal behavior.

Equity, Marital Satisfaction, and Stability

Equity Theory, a social psychological theory concerned with fairness in interpersonal relations, has been shown to be predictivein casual encounters. Is it applicable in intimate relations as well? Newlyweds were asked a series of questions designed to measure the perceived level of equity in their relationship. Measures of their contentment/distress with the relationship and stability of the relationship were also taken. It was hypothesized that men and women who felt equitably treated would feel more content in their marriage and would perceive the marriage as more stable than would men and women in inequitable marriages. Strong evidence in support of both hypotheses was found. Also reported is a test of a post hoc hypothesis that women and men should be differentially concerned with equity. No significant sex differences were found on any of the dependent variables in the study.

Equity and extramarital sexuality

Equity theory has recently been found to be a useful framework for under-standing the effects of imbalances in intimate “contractual” relationships such as marriage. Equitable couples seem to be happier, more satisfied with their relationship, and more confident that it will last than are their more mismatched, i.e., inequitable, counterparts. Furthermore, inequitable couples predictably act to “set things right” in their marriage. They either restore actual equity to the relationship or psychologically set their relationship in balance. If neither works, they may “leave the field.” Extramarital sex may be viewed as an equity restoration mechanism in that (1) it may be used by the deprived partner to achieve actual equity, (2) it may indicate a partners readiness to leave the relationship because he feels he can “do better,” or (3) it may represent a desire to achieve equity in an alternative relationship(s) when inequity pervades the primary one. The hypothesis that the inequitable/underbenefited group should be more likely than the equitable group or the inequitable/overbenefited group to have engaged in extramarital sex was tested using data from a large-scale Psychology Todayquestionnaire. The results indicated that men and women in inequitable/under-benefited relationships had more extramarital affairs and began their extramarital activities earlier than did men and women in equitable and inequitable/over-benefited relationships. Alternative explanations of this finding, sex-role demands and length of the relationship, are explored and discarded as untenable.

Men's and women's reactions to sexually explicit films: A serendipitous finding

We proposed that men and women would be “turned off” by watching men and women like themselves engaged in sexual activity and “turned on” by watching someone of the opposite sex engaged in the same activity. We tested this hypothesis by showing college men and women eight films: films depicting male and female homosexuality, male and female masturbation, and males and females engaged in heterosexual intercourse. We assessed men and womens reactions via the Byrne-Sheffield (1965) Feeling Scale and Griffitts (1975) Physiological Arousal Scale. We found support for our hypothesis. We also attempted to determine whether men and women differed in how easily they became aroused by sexually explicit films. We found that they did not.

Older Women, the Student Role and Mental Health.

Abstract Returning women students over 50, although growing in number, have been largely ignored as a unique group by both educational gerontologists and scholars interested in non‐traditional women students. Matched groups (N = 106) of student (outwardly oriented) and non‐student (home oriented) women (mean age = 55.67, s.d. = 5.25) were compared on measures of subjective age and attitudes toward age, perceived happiness and satisfaction, perceived physical health, number and severity of depressive symptoms, self‐esteem and autonomy. The student group was found to report better health, fewer and less severe depressive symptoms and higher autonomy. Psychological transitions facing mid‐life women are discussed. Possibilities of educational participation as preventive of mid‐life depression for women are discussed. Future longitudinal, cohort‐sequential research should focus on mid‐life and older women students as a unique group.