Courtney Tiatia

Reel Paper
Comm 2050
Feb 13, 2018
Guess Who and Social Exchange Theory

Introduction
The movie Guess Who emphasizes a range of points in Social Exchange Theory including costs
and rewards in an interracial relationship and how the relationships given matrix affects the
relationship. This paper will analyze a conflict in the movie Guess Who by first giving the movie
background, summarizing the Social Exchange Theory, define the vocabulary in the theory,
introduce the author of the theory, analyze the movie using Social Exchange Theory, make
recommendations on how to improve the conflict using the theory and conclude with what I
learned about communication by doing this research.
Movie Background
Guess Who is a movie about an interracial couple who is engaged to be married. The woman
(African American) takes her fiancé (European American) home to meet her family where her
family gets a shocking surprise; her fiancé is not African American as they expected but
European American. For the majority of the scenes, the film takes place at the home of the
African American family as they plan the parents 25th wedding anniversary and the family tries
to overcome the race of their soon to be son-in-law/brother-in-law (Topping, Stoff, Goldberg, &
Sullivan, 2005)
Theory Summary
Social Exchange Theory wants us to understand that the major force in interpersonal
relationships is that both people’s self-interest is acquired. The theory says that people think
about their relationships in economic terms. People in the relationship think about weight of the
cost which is the elements of relational life with negative value versus the reward which is the
elements of relational life with positive value which will ultimately determine the outcome
which is whether people continue in a relationship or terminate it (West & Turner, 2010, p.187).
The Social Exchange Theory has 5 assumptions about human nature:
[1] Humans seek rewards and avoid punishments.
[2] Humans are rational beings.
[3] The standards that humans use to evaluate costs and rewards vary over time
and from person to person.
[4] Relationships are interdependent.
[5] Relational life is a process (West & Turner, 2010, p.188).
A standard for what a person thinks he or she should get in a relationship is known as a
comparison level and how people evaluate a relationship based on what their alternatives to the
relationship are is the comparison level for alternatives (West & Turner, 2010, p.191). People
engage in behavioral sequences or a series of actions designed to achieve a goal. The degree of
dependence a person has on another for outcomes is called the power. Fate control is the ability
to affect a partner’s outcomes whereas behavior control is the power to change another’s
behavior. When we hear the term the given matrix it means the constraints on your choices due
to the environment and/or your own skill levels (West & Turner, 2010, p.193). The effective
matrix is the transformations you are able to make to your given matrix (learning a new skill for
example). The dispositional matrix is the beliefs you have about a relationship (West &
Turner, 2010, p.195). Also, in the Social Exchange Theory are the three types of exchanges. The
first exchange in the theory is direct exchange known as an exchange where two people
reciprocate costs and rewards. The second exchange in the theory is generalized exchange
where an exchange where reciprocation involves the social network and isn’t confined to two
individuals. The third exchange in the theory is productive exchange which is an exchange
where both partners incur costs and beliefs simultaneously (West & Turner, 2010, p.196). I chose
this theory because it corresponds with the story in the movie and he terms used in the chapter
about Social Exchange Theory reminded me of the examples in Guess Who.
Author Background
The main authors of Social Exchange Theory are John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, but they
expanded on George Horman’s ideas on social exchange and Peter Blau’s thoughts about how
social exchange differ from economic exchange. Kelley and Thibaut’s goal for the theory is that
interpersonal exchanges are like economic exchanges where people want to receive a fair
reward for the effort they put into the relationship (cost). Social Exchange Theory identifies the
major forces in interpersonal relationship that make them rewarding (Redmond, 2015).
Analysis of Movie using Theory
A great example of the Social Exchange Theory is when Theresa and Simon (her fiancé) sit
down with her family for dinner the first time, here they are introduced to the cost/reward and
starting to think of the outcome of the introduction of Simon to her family.
Percy (Theresa’s father): Simon, pass on the broccoli, please.
Simon: Yes, sir.
Theresa’s Grandpa: So, what, they don't have any available
young black men in New York anymore?
Theresa: They just ran out last week, Grandpa.
Grandpa: I'm just trying to figure out
why you chose to go this way.
Theresa: Don't mind him.
Simon: It's okay.
Simon: My grandmother loved you
when she first met you. But later she said some things.
I was like, "Wow, Grandma."
Theresa: What kind of things?
 Percy: Yeah, what kind of things?
Simon: Nothing. Just things.
Theresa: Such as?
Percy: Yeah, such as?
Theresa: Daddy? I got it.
Percy: I know.
Theresa: You know what?
Simon: You're gonna laugh when you hear this.
She said that Theresa was a very pretty girl.
Theresa: That's so nice.
Percy: Good taste.
Simon: So I ask her what she liked about you the most, right?
She said...
She says, "I just love her cute, little, nappy little head."
Grandpa: Your grandmother, where does she live?
Simon: Brooklyn. Why?
Grandpa: I just wanna know how far I'd have to travel
to kick her old white ass, that's why!
Theresa: Grandpa.
Grandpa: You don't call my grandchild no nappy head!
Percy: Did she say that while putting on a sheet for the Klan rally?
Marilyn (Theresa’s mother): Settle down, now! Hand me the butter.
Simon: My grandmother's not a malicious woman.
Theresa: No, she's not. (Guess Who Script).

Percy is using effective behavioral sequences to get Simon caught awkwardly in this
conversation so that his daughter Theresa can see that she’s not meant to be with a white man
and in hopes of breaking them up. You can tell that Theresa is thinking about her comparison
level for alternatives because she knows her family wants her to marry a black man. Simon is
giving the power to Percy because he is trying to make a good impression on his fiancé’s family
but its backfiring on him. Theresa is trying to use fate control to reel the conversation back in
favor of Simon to help him make a good impression which is ineffective.
Ultimately though, Theresa’s family is making the interracial relationship really difficult through
given matrix because the environment for their relationship to thrive and survive in is not in
their favor. I think this movie mostly uses the generalized exchange because it isn’t just Simon
and Theresa trying to maneuver their relationship; they also have the environmental factor of her
family. The interpersonal relationship has to be reciprocated not only by the couple but the
family that they are trying to win over. They both make it through to the end though because
they both decide that they were both satisfied in the relationship and their own self-interest in the
relationship. The outcome was good because the costs were not greater than the amount of
rewards of staying in the relationship (Topping, Stoff, Goldberg, & Sullivan, 2005).
Theory Recommendation
In the movie Simon quit his job right before they left to meet Theresa’s family, but he didn’t tell
Theresa because he was embarrassed. During their stay at her parent’s house he is on the phone a
lot trying to get a loan until he can get a new job. Her dad finds out about it and turns Theresa on
Simon. I think Theresa could have realized from what’s happened to this point in the movie that
her dad was trying to find any sort of way to break her and Simon up. She should have used the
dispositional matrix because she knows Simon very well and knows he wouldn’t do anything
maliciously to hurt her or his chances with her. Alas, it is a movie and movies have to have a
conflict or misunderstanding to enhance the “all is lost” section of the movie so that it then can
climax at the end.
Conclusion
In order to have a good relationship you need a good support system and reciprocation on the
end of both parties of the relationship. It’s highly important that both sides of a relationship feel
that there are more rewards than costs or it is likely that the relationship will be dissolved. There
are so many vital parts of communication to keep up a relationship and decide if you want to stay
or go. I’ve learned that your environment affects all your relationships and the timing. In Guess
Who the conflict throughout the movie was able to be dissolved because the costs were able to be
lower than the rewards by the end of the movie. Theresa and Simon were able to fix their given
matrix to be in their favor which made their outcome positive. Here is a classic quote from
Guess Who that is the quote that ends the conflict and misunderstanding;
Simon Green: That's just it, she's everything I'm not. You know, she's my other
half. Without her I'm not whole. You know the thing about meeting your other
half is you're walking around, you think you're happy, you think you're whole,
then you realize you ain't shit without her. Then you can't go back to being just a
half 'cause you know what it's like to be whole.
References

Guess Who Script - Dialogue Transcript. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from
http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/g/guess-who-script-transcript.html

Redmond, Mark V., "Social Exchange Theory" (2015). English Technical Reports and White
Papers. 5. http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/engl_reports/5

Topping, J., Stoff, E., Goldberg, J. (Producers), & Sullivan, K. (Director). (2005). Guess Who.
[Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.

West, R., & turner, L. H. (2000). Introducing communication theory: Analysis and application.
(4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.