In 1958, Heider proposed that in order to understand interpersonal attraction, it is necessary to focus on the individual's perception of a relationship rather than the objective realities. This he called the Balance Theory which suggests that there are a number of reasons why individuals become attracted to one another.
According to Heider, friendship choices involve each
individual's quests for consistency between feelings of attraction towards
others, and personal beliefs, attitudes and values. People strive for balanced
relationships between the way they feel and the action they take.
Heider used a triadic formation to illustrate the two
types of relationships which may exist between an individual, another person
and any other event, person, place or concept. He proposed a sentiment
(liking/disliking) relationship, and a unit relationship between any two of
these elements in a person's consciousness. The latter relationship involves
the perception that two individuals either belong or do not belong together.
Both types of relationships tend towards a balanced state, so that people feel
positive sentiments (liking) for individuals with whom they perceive themselves
to belong, and negative sentiment (disliking) for those they do not perceive
themselves to belong. If there is an imbalance, for example, then individuals
feel uncomfortable. They will, therefore, try to restore the balance by
changing their sentiment towards the other, or by changing the unit
relationship.
Heider outlined a number of dimensions along which
individuals may be attracted:
·
Reciprocity, whereby the chances of two people
becoming friends are increased if there is a mutual attraction between them.
·
Proximity is also proposed to have an effect on
friendship formation. Heider states that individuals may become friendly with
one another because they spend a lot of time together. So, the formation of a
unit relationship induces positive sentiment and therefore friendship.
Conversely, people may state that they spend a lot of
time together because they are friends. However, by providing this reason,
congruity between the individual's feeling and the action they have taken is
maintained.
Studies have supported this idea and have found that time
spent in interaction leads individuals to like each other. Newcomb, for
instance, studied male college students who were all strangers to each other at
the beginning of the year. They were offered free room and board for
participating in the study. Attitudes and levels of attraction towards all
other subjects in the study were assessed for each participant at the beginning
of the study and reassessed at various points throughout the research. Although
there was little relationship between attitude similarity and attraction during
the early stages, results during the final phase indicated a significant
positive relationship between the degree to which individuals held similar
attitudes to each other and expressed levels of attraction. This finding
supports the idea that individuals who spend a lot of time together are more
likely to become friends. Modifications to the Balance Theory were proposed by
Newcomb in 1961. He found that although Heider's theory applied in
circumstances where positive sentiments were concerned, problems arose with negative
relationships. People prefer to like others rather than dislike them, even when
according to Heider's theory, disliking the other would create a more balanced
situation. Newcomb applied Heider's theory to larger groups of people and not
the triads suggested by Heider. He proposed that imbalance among a collective
group would be noticed by individual members of the group. The alerted member
would consequently attempt to reduce the imbalance which may lead to changes in
both attitude and attraction among members of the group in order to restore
balance. Newcomb's study mentioned earlier using male college students also
supports the idea that groups tend to move towards a balanced situation and
that balance among a group of people tends to increase with the length of time
they have known each other.
Example between two entities
If Carla (P) likes Bill (O), and Bill has the same
feeling of taste towards Carla it will result in the same positive outcome as
the system is in balance. But if Carla likes Bill but Bill doesn’t feel the
same way and doesn’t like Carla then the imbalance occurs. The balance in these
two can be achieved by changing the attitude of one towards the other.
But if Carla (P) and Bill (O) dislike each other, then
the system is in balance (two negatives are positive, but it is less
satisfactory than when (P) and (O) resemble each other.
Examples among three entities
This type of relationship between three is more
complicated, however, with the following example you can better understand the
triangle proposed by Heider.
If Carla (P) likes Bill (O) as the object (Indian food
X), then if Bill does not like X, then there is an unbalanced situation and a
force will be created to bring the system into a state of equilibrium, for
example, a change of attitude from one to Bill (O) or to X.
If Carla (P) has a negative attitude towards a political
party, but her friend Bill (O), whom she admires and loves, is president of the
political party she does not like (X) and he recommends her to join. In this
situation of imbalance, Carla will change her attitude towards the political
party (X) or will change her attitude towards her friend Bill (O). She will
give more importance to what is most valuable to Carla.
Applications OF Balance Theory
§ New
attitudes can be formed through balance theory, as shown by research studies.
When an imbalance occurs in a situation, people feel pressured or influenced to
alter their attitudes, resulting in a change of attitude or opinion.
§ Social
dynamics can also be understood using balance theory. For example, Katy’s close
friend Sarah is friends with Katy’s other friends. She is not friendly with
Katy’s enemies due to her loyalty to Katy. These social relationships work in
balance.
§ It
has also been found that memory is better for balanced relations than for
imbalanced ones. People seem to remember balanced patterns like A likes C, B
likes C and A likes C better than imbalance relations.
§ Balance
theory has led to a lot of research in different fields such as education,
marketing, corporate culture, understanding family equations, consumer behavior,
etc.
§ It
has been applied to political science and history to understand relations.
Benefits Of Balance Theory in Daily Life
1. Mental Evaluation of Groups And Self-Evaluation
(personal) Using Balance Theory
Balance theory can be used to mentally evaluate groups as
well as your own self. Groups can be evaluated based on how balanced they seem,
in terms of unity and cooperation. For example, a cricket team can be evaluated
by seeing them play and noticing teamwork and cooperation between the players.
We can also evaluate our own self, by using balance
theory. Some characteristics of our self-form our self-concept. We believe
these characteristics to be a part of our personality. By displaying behavior,
consistent with these characteristics, we maintain balance. If we are
inconsistent in this context, imbalance occurs. We must then evaluate the
situation and regain balance accordingly.
2. Setting New Behavior and New Attitude
Balance theory states that balance occurs when two things
or people are in equilibrium. They like the same things or are part of the same
group. Imbalance situations refer to contexts wherein people have different
preferences or belong to different groups. So, when an imbalance occurs in a
situation, people feel pressured or influenced to alter their attitudes,
resulting in a change of attitude or opinion. This mechanism can lead to the
formation of new behaviors or attitudes.
For example, Kevin and Sarah are good friends. Kevin
likes a particular music band. Sarah does not like it. This is an imbalance
situation. Kevin tries to introduce the good songs of the band to Sarah, and
she reciprocates by trying to listen to some of the songs and ends up liking some
of their work. This turns into a balanced situation and Sarah has formed a new
attitude towards the band now.
3. How Can Balance Theory Be Applied in The
Development Of Personal Interaction With The Environment?
Heider developed balance theory to help people form
relationships and social interactions with people in their environment. This
theory can help people in maintaining balance in situations and to regain
balance if things start to get imbalanced. Balance can be regained in these
situations by pointing out inconsistencies to people who have played a part in
losing balance and to make them realize the importance of balance.
Personal interactions with others are influenced by the
balance theory. For example, when we meet a new classmate or a colleague, we
try to maintain the conversation by talking about mutual interests or finding
something in common to like or dislike, to maintain the balance. This balance
helps us in forming connections and supports social interactions as well as
negotiations.
4. How to Attain Harmony in Any Relationship
(marriage)
§ Balance
theory can be used to maintain harmony in relationships or friendships. Finding
mutual interests in music bands or tv shows can help create a sense of balance,
promoting equilibrium and stability.
§ Doing
similar activities together, such as gardening, or dancing can also promote a
sense of balance due to belonging to the same group. This sense of balance
further promotes liking.
§ If
there is an imbalance due to differences in opinions or attitudes, one person
can alter their attitude to regain balance and harmony can be maintained again.
§ The
efforts of two people in a bond should be equal most of the time, so that
balance continues to remain and hence, harmony is also maintained.
Sources and Additional Information:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/balance-theory.html
https://www.toolshero.com/psychology/heiders-balance-theory/
https://www.communicationtheory.org/heiders-balance-theory-in-relationship-with-examples/
https://eprints.utas.edu.au/19635/1/whole_CowlesSharonClare1996_thesis.pdf
