Finding the love of your life is not a simple process. People look for a partner who is going to meet all the needs they have on their list. If those needs can’t be met, sometimes people look for an alternative option. Theorist came up with social exchange theory to explain why people act the way they due towards relationships. According to social exchange theory, everyone is motivated by their own self-interests and people only commit to a relationship if they find it rewarding (Doneker, 2016). The movie Something New showcased many examples of social exchange theory through the relationship of Brian and Kenya. Based upon their relationship, couples must showcase equity and reciprocity in order for …show more content…
Because of this, their relationship remained unstable. Brian continuously made Kenya laugh, satisfied her sexual needs, and made her very happy, but that was not enough for Kenya. She knew that Brian was a good guy for her, but she had trouble getting passed the racial issues. She continued to allow her friends and family members opinions dictate whether or not she should stay with Brian. As for Brian, he believed that Kenya was attractive and also believed she was a kind person despite the guard she held up for a while. Brian began to feel as though he was constantly rewarding Kenya and never receiving the same amount of rewards in return. His feelings of being under benefitted contributed to the unstable relationship. Ultimately, both Kenya and Brian decided to break up and seek other alternatives. It was easier for them to break up because neither one of them had many barriers or investments in the relationship. Examples of barriers to a relationship include children, pets, or family (Doneker, 2016). Examples of investments include, money and time (Doneker, 2016). If Kenya and Brian had any investments it would have increased their likelihood of continuing the relationship (Smith & Hamon, 1998, p. 254). Brian decided to go back to his old girlfriend and Kenya decided to date a guy that her brother introduced her