Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionTheories of Interpersonal AttractionSocial Exchange TheoryEquity Theory of Interpersonal AttractionEvolutionary Theory of Interpersonal AttractionAttachment Theory o Interpersonal AttractionConclusionSummaryThis article compares and critically evaluates four theories of interpersonal attraction. The four theories of interpersonal attraction are: social exchange theory, equity theory, evolutionary theory, and attachment theory. At the end of the article, a conclusion is drawn based on the comparison and critical evaluation of the four theories of interpersonal attraction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionTheories of interpersonal attraction are the theories of social psychology that seek to explain the phenomenon of interpersonal attraction. These theories seek to explain what actually causes attraction between people. Although scholars of interpersonal attraction largely agree that the factors of proximity, similarity, mutual liking, and physical attractiveness influence interpersonal attraction, researchers differ on what actually causes interpersonal attraction. Thus, different researchers have proposed various theories to try to explain this phenomenon of interpersonal attraction. This article compares and critically evaluates four of these theories of interpersonal attraction. These theories are: social exchange theory, equity theory, evolutionary theory and attachment theory. At the end of the article, a conclusion is drawn based on the comparison and critical evaluation of the four theories of interpersonal attraction. Interpersonal Attraction Theories Social Exchange Theory Social exchange theory states that how people feel and how satisfied they are in a relationship depends on their understanding of the benefits and costs of the relationship, the type of relationship they believe they deserve or expect to have (level of comparison) and their chances of having a more fulfilling relationship with a different person (level of comparison of alternatives) (What are the factors that underlie the Interpersonal attraction? This means that the main motivation for interpersonal attraction is the benefit one expects to get from the other person in a relationship and the determinant of contentment in a relationship depends on the conception that one has; a person has the type of relationship he or she is worth or deserves, and the alternatives available for the person to have a relationship with other people (the level of comparison of alternatives Social exchange theory Interpersonal attraction). is supported by a number of researchers in social psychology. To begin, Newcomb asserts that we acquire favorable or unfavorable attitudes toward others as we are rewarded or punished by them (Newcomb, 1956). On the other hand, Aronson states that we are normally attracted to other people whose behavior seems most rewarding to us (Aronson, 1969). Walster asserted that individuals love those who reward them (Walster, 1971), while Levinger and Snoek asserted that loving others arises from the rewards we obtain. In summary, the social exchange theory of interpersonal attraction holds that all forms of interpersonal attraction can be attributed to the gains or benefits one expects to derive from one's object of attraction , that is to say of theperson who attracts him. But a critical look at this view in relation to other theories of interpersonal attraction shows that this theory is partly true but that it does not completely explain the phenomenon of interpersonal attraction. Indeed, interpersonal attraction is more motivated than the simple direct reward that one hopes to obtain from the relationship. For example, as the theory of evolution argues, our behavior in interpersonal attraction can be explained by our adaptations during the process of human evolution. This will become clearer when we look at the evolutionary theory of interpersonal attraction. The second weakness of this theory is the assumption that reward is the sole motivation for interpersonal attraction. But this is obviously not true because there are certain forms of interpersonal attraction motivated by Agapè love (Interpersonal Attraction, Web.). Agape is selfless love and so in agape love, one is attracted or attracted to the other person not out of expectation of reward or gain, but out of pure love, agape. This fact therefore shows that the theory of social exchange is not sufficient to account for all forms of interpersonal attraction. of interpersonal interaction. For example, while the interpersonal attraction theory of social exchange holds that the primary determinant of happiness in a relationship is the reward one gets from the relationship, the type of relationship the person believes they deserve, and their chances of having a relationship. with someone else, equity theory of interpersonal attraction argues that the primary determinant of happiness in a relationship is the balance between the rewards, costs, and contributions of both partners in a relationship. According to the equity theory of interpersonal attraction, there should always be a balance, a rough balance, between the rewards and costs one experiences in a relationship and the contributions one makes in a relationship , and the rewards and costs experienced by the other. partner in the relationship and the contributions made by that other person to the relationship. According to this theory, parties in a relationship should therefore always seek to ensure that there is a balance between their contributions to the relationship and the gains and costs that each of them experiences in the relationship. Both the more-benefited and the less-benefited from a relationship should seek to restore this balance in the event of an imbalance in the relationship. According to this theory, there will always be an attraction between partners in a relationship when this balance is maintained and the relationship becomes stronger and stronger. As we can clearly see, this theory is also based on the reward we expect. in a relationship, although reward in exchange theory takes a different perspective, namely the balance between contributions, gains and rewards that the parties in a relationship experience. And just like the social exchange theory of interpersonal attraction, this theory is only partially true and does not explain the entire phenomenon of interpersonal attraction. The theory does not explain interpersonal attractions motivated by Agape love. The theory also does not explain certain forms of interpersonal behavior driven by our adaptive behavior that we acquired during the process of human evolution. Once again, this theory does not take into account certain forms of interpersonal attraction motivated by our attitudes and behaviors developed during our socialization in childhood. This is clearly explained by the attachment theory of interpersonal attraction (Bowlby, 1969)..