Mary has always had a good relationship with her mother. At the university, she met a friend whom she grew very fond of. Mary brought her new friend home to visit her family. Mary's mother really disliked her new friend. According to the balance theory, what will Mary be motivated to do?
A) Mary will assimilate her mother's feelings, thereby understanding her mother without changing her attitude toward her or her new friend.
B) Mary will begin to believe her own judgment is flawed and compensate by persuading herself that she really does make good judgments in her relationships.
C) Mary will notice how her own behaviour was influenced by her mother and conclude that she really likes her friend better than she at first believed.
D) Mary will try to get her mother to change her attitude. If that is unsuccessful Mary will change her attitude toward her mother, or toward her new friend.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Balance theory suggests that individuals seek consistency and balance in their relationships. If Mary's mother dislikes her new friend, this creates an imbalance in Mary's relationship triangle. To restore balance, Mary will be motivated to change one of the attitudes within the triangle: either by trying to change her mother's attitude towards her friend or by changing her own attitude towards her mother or her friend.

Mary Has Always Had a Good Relationship with Her Mother