10 - A theory of coercion in social exchange

Summary

The five preceding chapters developed and tested a theory of coercion in social exchange. Because one of my aims was to show how a program of cumulative experimental research can be used as a tool for building and testing theory, I constructed the theoretical puzzle piece by piece. This chapter provides an overview of the finished picture. Here, I summarize the development of the theory, offer a more formal statement of its logic, and discuss the findings that support it. I then examine the implications of the work for social exchange theory, and revisit the advantages and disadvantages of integrating the study of coercive power within the framework of social exchange.

Logic and development of the theory

Scope conditions

The five conditions that limit the scope of Emerson's theory of reward exchange (Table 2.1) also restrict the scope of coercive exchange theory. The boundaries of the research project were further set by the additional conditions specified in Chapter 3. Several of these are clearly theoretical scope conditions, restricting coercive exchange theory to (1) relations in which actors can reward as well as punish each other, (2) negatively connected networks, (3) nonnegotiated (reciprocal) exchanges, and (4) settings in which actors can neither change the structure nor avoid a partner's rewards or punishments. The logic of the theory rests on the assumption that these conditions are met.