RECIPROCITY RECONSIDERED - GOULDNERS MORAL NORM OF RECIPROCITY AND SOCIAL SUPPORT

In a classic statement three decades ago, Gouldner (1960) made an impo rtant analytic distinction between reciprocity as a pattern of social exchange and reciprocity as a general moral belief. Gouldner argued th at the moral norm of reciprocity constitutes an important 'causal forc e' in social life. The reciprocity norm dictates that Ego should not e nd up gaining at the expense of Alter's beneficial acts towards him or her. In contrast to equity theory, which suggests that people will re act equally negatively to under- and overbenefiting, the reciprocity n orm suggests that people will, above all, attempt to avoid overbenefit ing from their socially supportive interactions. While many studies of social support have incorporated the concepts of reciprocity and exch ange, virtually none has examined the validity of Gouldner's distincti on nor its. potential implications for the dynamics of social support. This paper explores the evidence for Gouldner's claims from studies o n support and reciprocity. Evidence is found suggesting that people fe el obligated to return benefits they receive from others, appear to be more psychologically and emotionally averse to overbenefiting than un derbenefiting from social support interactions, and tend to avoid plac ing themselves in the position of 'overbenefitors'. Alternative explan ations for avoidance of overbenefiting are considered, and implication s for the study of social support are explored.