Exchange Theory

I learned this week that there are four theories to explain why people interact the way they do. The theory that stuck out to me the most was exchange theory. This theory states that we as people weigh the pros and cons of each relationship we develop. We often ask ourselves, "What do I get out of this?" If we realize that the negative aspects outweight the rewards of the relationship, we tend to withdraw. This got me thinking that we as people are pretty selfish. The question we need to be asking is, "What can I put into the relationship to make it better?" Obviously there are some relationships that are just really unhealthy and they aren't worth saving, but what about the relationships that we just give up on because we don't have time? I think this is a great time to evaluate the relationships in my life and examine what I'm doing to make them grow and flourish. I think that is very important to do if I want to have long-lasting relationships.