Give And Take: How The Rule Of Reciprocation Binds Us : Shots - Health News : NPR

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Robert Cialdini is an emeritus psychologist at Arizona State University who studies how our behavior is affected by social rules that we're only vaguely aware of but which have incredible power over what we do. What happened to Kunz, he explains, is the direct result of one of the rules that most interest him: the rule of reciprocation. The rule, he says, is drilled into us as children.
"We are obligated to give back to others, the form of behavior that they have first given to us," he says. "Essentially thou shall not take without giving in return."
And so if someone passes you in the hall and says hello, you feel compelled to return their greeting. When you don't, you notice it, it makes you uncomfortable, out of balance. That's the rule of reciprocation.

This happens more in Biv parts of society, V-Bi teams tend to cooperate with each other and help each other in a positive sum game where all benefit. Also a positive sum game sually benefits both parties so in a wealthy GB area people generally benefit from this attitude. In a Roy society this works less well, a free horse might be ridden to death as favors are ussed up and not reciprocated. However people in Y-Ro teams migth look after each other because they know rival teams will exploit and weaknesses in their cooperation. Iv-B and Oy-R people only compete and so using up favors without reciprocating can be a competitive advantage.