What Is Reciprocity in Anthropology?
Cross-cultural exchange is defined by three separate principles. These principles of basic exchange are redistribution, market exchange and reciprocity. Studying how societies and tribes reciprocate goods and services helps us to better understand human relationships.
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Identification
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Reciprocity is the most common mode of exchange between tribal societies, wherein social equals form the bonds of trade.
Types
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There are three degrees of reciprocity: generalized, balanced and negative. Each degree has its own function in tribal interactions.
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Generalized
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The purest form of reciprocity is generalized reciprocity, which involves an exchange between closely-related people. For example, a parent often will give items to a child without the expectation of anything in return. This mode of exchange does little to establish or exchange value; generalized reciprocity functions more as an expression of personal relationships.
Balanced
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Balanced reciprocity applies to exchanges between loosely-related individuals or groups. The relationship between the two exchangers is more informal and the expectation of return may not have a specific date or appointment.
Negative
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The barter system long dominated economic trade before the invention of money. Bartering is a form of negative reciprocity, in which one person offers a service or goods and is immediately paid in an equal value of goods or services. Thus, both parties share an equally negative experience of exchange.
Moral
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Some anthropologists believe there is a basic human tendency to reciprocate along lines of morality. This is called moral reciprocity. Researchers believe there is a link between people willing to do harm to individuals they believe are immoral, and their willingness to offer assistance to individuals they morally support.
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