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) She 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

According to the balance theory, when two people have a positive relationship, they tend to like the same things and people. However, when one person dislikes something or someone that is important to the other person, there is an imbalance in the relationship. In this situation, Mary's mother dislikes Mary's new friend, which creates an imbalance in their relationship. In order to restore balance, Mary will be motivated to either change her attitude toward her mother or her new friend. If she is unsuccessful in trying to change her mother's attitude, she may end up changing her own attitude toward her mother or her friend. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Mary Has Always Had a Good Relationship with Her Mother