ttempt to build a theory of social life beginning with the basic behavioristic propositions of B.F. Skinner's psychology of operant conditioning:
What this means is that, extrapolating from the study of pigeons, Skinner and Homans formulate propositions about human behavior. In everyday social interaction, Homans maintains that individuals will act to secure rewards and avoid punishment. Social relationships are seen as exchange relationships in the sense that rewards, such as approval or recognition, are attendant on certain behaviors. When these behaviors are rewarded an individual is likely to repeat them in similar situations ("Exchange Theory" [1], 300).
Homans developed the first systematic theory focusing on social behavior and seeing it as an exchange of activity between at least two persons. Homans placed special emphasis on the psychological processes motivating human beings to engage in exchange. Other sociologists
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