John W. Thibaut

An American social psychologist whose collaborations with Harold Kelley helped shape theories of dependence, exchange, and interpersonal choice.

• Signature vocabulary: interdependence theory, social exchange, procedural justice, groups.
• Worldview: Relationships and group behavior are structured by patterns of dependence, alternatives, rewards, and fairness in interaction.
• Likely reading of common emotional problems: He would understand conflict through interdependence, comparison levels, and the perceived fairness of procedures and outcomes.
• This figure is best approached through the lens of social psychology.

Negotiation-minded and structurally clear, examining dependence, alternatives, and fairness in relationships and groups.

• interdependence theory
• comparison levels and alternatives
• social exchange
• procedural justice
• situational influence
• groups and norms
• identity and comparison
• perception of others
• groups

• Exchange and interdependence models are powerful but can sound overly calculative beside the full emotional richness of relationships.
• Perceived fairness, alternatives, and comparison standards vary culturally and historically rather than operating as fixed universal metrics.

• Who depends on whom here?
• Satisfaction is relative to the alternatives people see.
• Procedure can wound even when outcomes look acceptable.

• The Social Psychology of Groups
• Interdependence theory papers
• Procedural justice research