Abstract

VILLALPANDO ACUNA, Antonio. Modeling Human Courtship: Negotiation and Exchange in Couple Relations from the Perspective of Economic Sociology. Sociológica (Méx.) [online]. 2012, vol.27, n.76, pp.53-87. ISSN 2007-8358.

The interactions in primary groups and the dynamics of human mating are common topics in Economic Sociology. Nevertheless, papers studying the interactions involved in courtship are still anthropology's and evolutionary biology's territory. This article explores the context in which Economic Sociology is carried out, stressing the role of the Social Exchange Theory. The need for a theory of couples' affective bond is also discussed, argument which is used to cast a modest model of bargaining applied to human courtship.

Keywords : Social Exchange Theory; bargaining; human courtship; George C. Homans; utility; models.