Alan Fiske proposes that we can describe all human interactions with reference to four relational models;

Communal sharing focuses on the commonalities of people. Each person is equivalent to, and interchangeable with, any other. Intimate and kinship relations are clear examples.

In authority ranking, we order people along a hierarchical social dimension. The higher ranks enjoy more authority, prestige, and privileges. Here we can think about the military.

Equality matching relationships prioritise the maintenance of equilibrium. If one person in the relationship does something good, the other will reciprocate. If one harms the other, the aggrieved person will retaliate. Relationships that are not intimate are often of this sort.

Market pricing relationships consist of a model of proportionality. We reduce the relevant features of goods and services to a single measure of value or utility metric for easy comparison, even between otherwise incomparable things. A massage can be worth more “money” than a toothbrush. Here, we use the example of monetary transactions to demonstrate where market pricing relationships turn up in real life.