Closely related to the idea of equity is sociologist's notion of a ubiquitous norm of reciprocity, whereby individuals feel strongly that: 1. People should help those who have helped them and 2. People should not injure those who have helped them.
Such obligations of repayment are contingent upon the imputed value of the benefit received. The value of the benefit and hence the debt is in proportion to and varies with-among other things-the intensity of the recipient's need at the time the benefit was bestowed ("a friend in need..."), the resources of the donor ("he gave although he could ill afford it"), the motives imputed to the donor ("without thought of gain"), and the nature of the constraints which are perceived to exist or to be absent ("he gave of his own free will"). Thus, the obligations imposed by the norm of reciprocity may vary with the status of the participants within a society. leia todo o artigo
