"What Do You Have to Offer Me?": A Relationship Building Activity for Demonstrating Social Exchange Theory

Abstract

This article describes " What Do You Have to Offer Me?, " an interactive classroom activity designed to help students encounter social exchange theory in action. During the exercise, each student selected seven cards, each containing a characteristic related to personality, physical appearance, family history, finances, ideology, and occupation. Next, students were asked to mill around the classroom and find someone with whom they would be interested in developing a relationship based on their assigned characteristics. Once all students found partners and took their seats, students reflected on the process of the activity and its application to social exchange theory. Along with providing details on the activity, we conclude with student reflections and evaluative data on the exercise.