Familial Behavior as Social Exchange

Current interest in developing conceptual frameworks applicable to the study of the family has produced several identifiable schemata. Some potentially fruitful approaches have been ignored, however. One notable omission is that approach which views familial behavior as social exchange. Assaying the relevance of this framework, we show that many of its basic assumptions and concepts are presently utilized implicitly in analyses of familial behavior. It is contended that for this reason the exchange framework should be accorded explicit recognition. Moreover, it is shown that, when employed in a consistent manner, testable hypotheses as well as deductive explanatory theory can be generated. To illustrate, several testable relationships are suggested and a theory of homogamous mating is presented.