Exchange and Communal Relationships

It doesn't take us too long to grasp the idea that every relationship is completely different. Our relationships with our family, friends, lovers, and one-night-standers, all different based on what we expect to give and what we expect to get in return. An array of theories have been developed to try and find the underlying mechanisms governing relationships, including a relatively successful and logical theory developed by Clark and Mills (1979) that states that we experience two different kinds of relationships. Exchange relationships are those we generally have with acquaintances, business partners, and anybody else we don't feel strongly indebted to. These relationships are characterized by an equal amount of give and take. For example, although I deeply care about my coworkers, if  cover their shift, I expect them to cover a shift for me when I'm in desperate need. This isn't supposed to sound catty, like I feel like they owe me, I just know some day I'm going to be in a world of shit and need their help, like they needed my help at one point. Tit for tat, shift for shift, it's all based on equality.
The other type of relationship in Clark and Mills theory is a communal relationship, or a relationship where an individual gives something to another person out of affection or concern without any expectation for reciprocation. Hopefully, if you're in a romantic relationship, you're experiencing this kind of relationship. If you are in a romantic relationship and you feel like you're more in an exchange relationship, run the fuck away. I've been in those. They're not fun. Now I'm going to be really cheesy, but my current relationship is more than I could have ever asked for. Mike has given me so much with wanting so little from me. He's helped me pay my car payment, given me gas money, helped me move  (in with him) when I lost my house, and constantly does things to make me feel better as a human being on a day-to-day basis, and he never asks for a thing back but my love for him. I don't know how I got so lucky. By the way, I'm not a total dick, I definitely give back to him, it's a two-way street, but we're just not keeping tally of who has done what and when.   :)

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Reference
Clark, M. S., & Mills, J. (1979). Interpersonal attraction in exchange and communal relationships. Journal 
          Of Personality And Social Psychology, 37(1), 12-24. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.37.1.12