Exceptions to Reward Theory

• Why might a woman be attracted to a man who abuses her?

• Why would a person want to join an organization that requires a degrading initiation ritual?

• Could some people feel more attraction when they find that another person has less to offer?

Expectancy-Value Theory

• Expectancy-value theory: people decide whether to pursue a relationship by weighing the value they see in another person against their expectation of success in the relationship

• We start relationships with the most attractive person we think will like us back

Expectancy-Value Theory

• What about people with low self-esteem?

• People with low self-esteem tend to start relationships with people who share their views– These people feel a stronger commitment to a

relationship when their partner thinks poorly of them than when their partner thinks well of them

Cognitive Dissonance Theory• Can help explain the mental adjustments that occur in

people who voluntarily undergo unpleasant experiences• Cognitive dissonance: a highly motivating state in

which people’s voluntary actions conflict with their attitudes

• When people’s cognitions and actions conflict, they often reduce the conflict (dissonance) by changing their thinking to reduce the conflict

• Interesting note: people in collectivist cultures (Japan) are less likely to experience c.d. than people in individualistic cultures (U.S.)