John Walter Thibaut (1917–1986) was a

social psychologist Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the re ...

, one of the last graduate students of

Kurt Lewin Kurt Lewin ( ; 9 September 1890 – 12 February 1947) was a German-American psychologist, known as one of the modern pioneers of social, organizational, and applied psychology in the United States. During his professional career Lewin applied hi ...

. He spent a number of years as a professor at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, and was the first editor of the ''

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

''.

Life and work

The research group which he headed at UNC was regularly attended by Harry Upshaw, Jack Brehm,

Kurt Back Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...

, and

Edward E. Jones :For the Louisiana civil rights pioneer, see ''E. Edward Jones''. Edward Ellsworth "Ned" Jones (August 11, 1926 – July 30, 1993) was an influential American social psychology, social psychologist, he is known as father of Ingratiation due to ...

. He is best known for "A Social Psychology of Groups", co-authored by his long-time collaborator

Harold Kelley Harold Kelley (February 16, 1921 – January 29, 2003) was an American social psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His major contributions have been the development of interdependence theory ...

. The examination of social exchange led Thibaut and Kelley to develop

Interdependence Theory Interdependence theory is a social exchange theory that states that interpersonal relationships are defined through interpersonal interdependence, which is "the process by which interacting people influence one another's experiences"Van Lange, P.A. ...

, a process which was facilitated by Thibaut spending a year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences where he had significant interaction with

Kenneth Arrow Kenneth Joseph Arrow (23 August 1921 – 21 February 2017) was an American economist, mathematician, writer, and political theorist. He was the joint winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with John Hicks in 1972. In economics ...

. The early variations of

Thibaut, J.W., & Kelley, H.H., (1959). The social psychology of groups. New York: Wiley.; Thibaut, J. W., Kelley, H. H. (1977). Interpersonal relations : a theory of interdependence. United Kingdom: Wiley. stem from

Alvin Ward Gouldner Alvin may refer to: Places Canada * Alvin, British Columbia United States * Alvin, Colorado *Alvin, Georgia * Alvin, Illinois * Alvin, Michigan *Alvin, Texas *Alvin, Wisconsin, a town *Alvin (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community Oth ...

's (1960) norm of reciprocity, which argues that people ought to return benefits given to them in a relationship.

Peter M. Blau Peter Michael Blau (February 7, 1918 – March 12, 2002) was an American sociologist and theorist. Born in Vienna, Austria, he immigrated to the United States in 1939. He completed his PhD doctoral thesis with Robert K. Merton at Columbia Univers ...

built on the work done by

George C. Homans George Caspar Homans (August 11, 1910 – May 29, 1989) was an American sociologist, founder of behavioral sociology, and a major contributor to the social exchange theory. Homans is best known for his research in social behavior and his works ' ...

in ''Exchange and Power in Social Life'' (1964). Later modifications to this theory focus attention on relational development and maintenance rules (see Murstein et al.). Thibaut's later research was in the area of procedural justice, where he co-authored a book with legal expert

Laurens Walker Laurens may refer to: Places United States * Laurens County, Georgia * Laurens, Iowa, a city * Laurens (town), New York * Laurens (village), New York * Laurens, South Carolina, a city * Laurens County, South Carolina * Fort Laurens, an Americ ...

Work

* Back, K., Festinger, L., Hymovitch, B., Kelley, H., Schachter, S., & Thibaut, J. (1950). The methodology of studying rumor transmission. Human Relations, 3(3), 307–312. * Festinger, L., & Thibaut, J. (1951). Interpersonal communication in small groups. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 46(1), 92–99.

References

External links

* Social psychologists 1917 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American economists {{US-psychologist-stub