exchange perspective and Rational choice

I choose the trade and choice perspectives for this theoretical perspective paper. Leigh Anne Tuohy, the primary character in the film Blind Side, is an object of examination.

The economic paradigm of rational choice has been used to establish the choice and exchange perspective in sociology. Although ideas of rationality in human conduct have been presented in the economy for centuries, Friedman and Hechter outlined the particular components of the model only in 1988. (Smelser, 1992, p. 385). The theory’s central tenet is that people weigh their costs and revenues in terms of knowledge, time, prestige, and approval before taking action or making a decision (KhanAcademy). Therefore, they have a strict order/ rank of actions by their outcomes, two other assumptions include transitivity of variants and independence of their order by other alternatives.

Exchange theory is an application of rational choice theory to society. Authors of exchange and choice theory/perspective in sociology are Blau, Emerson, and Homans. The perspective defines social exchange as the exchange of tangible and intangible activities more or less costly/ rewarding between two persons or more. This perspective has its basement assumptions about humans rationality, their mercantile behavior (seeking rewards and avoiding punishments) as well as about process nature of relations in opposite to static constructions and interdependency of relations (Cook, Cheshir, Rice, & Nakagawa, 2013, p.61).

Leigh Anne Tuohy, the main character that I analyze in this paper (played by Sandra Bullock) is a mother of an American family living in the South of USA. She is about 40, Caucasian, having Irish roots common with husband, heterosexual, female, belonging to a high middle class, speaking American English, physically and mentally healthy. The character has a high education by Mississippi University, her religious views are strongly Christian, political views – Republican, it is not clear if she is just a homemaker or having her own business (trainer), the person is interested in charity. The character is very tolerant to other races, ethnicity, political views, has a strong-willed character, in communication with family showing a sense of humor, behaving in a strict but fair way.

Environmental dimensions of the South America and particular place of character living includes high social and economic gap within society, a high priority of religious believes, based on American cultural ideals of achievement and social mobility in return to hard work, the neighborhood is for people with high economic and social status. This parameter frame character’s experience and limit it (she had never been in the poor black neighborhood of the town, has social contacts with people of specific views), also they provide beliefs and values that character shares.

The character has a constitution that supposes fast metabolism that is supported by physically active life, psychologically she is not very emotional but has an empathy, strong beliefs, and values and easily make decisions based on them (rather intuitively than rationally). The character is a part of the family (husband, two children), her main peer group includes women of the same social class, belongs to the Caucasian Christian community. Spiritual dimensions of Leigh Anne are shown through her charity activities; she tries to understand if she is a good person by Christian scale.

Her personal relations with the environment may be characterized as a conflict of her beliefs and values are more honest and real that of the others around. She prefers logical following to ethical principles and ideals where others decline to “common sense” and manipulate them. The social system in the character’s case promotes material well-being and health through the disproportional amount of opportunities that middle class have, on the other hand, it limits her spiritual well-being by opinionating and discrimination.

The exchange and choice theoretical perspective helps to define and explain the actions of the character as soon as the main act of the character is a decision to adopt a black person having a number of social problems but the talent in sports. It is noticeable that investigator in the movie plot on practice trying to give a rational explanation to Leigh Anne behavior (all the positive altruistic acts in a direction to the black person), however, it includes only economic factors and miss spiritual ones. The theory in comparison allows making a multi-factor analysis of behavior and explain the character’s altruistic acts in a way that is adequate to personal motivation.

References

Cook, K. S., Cheshire, C., Rice, E. R., & Nakagawa, S. (2013). Social exchange theory. In Handbook of social psychology (pp. 61-88). Springer Netherlands. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_3

KhanAcademy. (2017). Rational choice-exchange theory. https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/society-and-culture/social-structures/v/rational-choice-exchange

Smelser, N.J. (1992). The rational choice perspective. Rationality and society, 4(4): 381-410.