369 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 S. Abrutyn (ed.), Handbook of Contemporary Sociological Theory, Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32250-6_18 Microsociologies: Social Exchange, Trust, Justice, and Legitimacy Michael J. Carter 18.1 Introduction The past decades have witnessed the growth and development of various sociological theories that address micro-level social phenomena. The “micro realm” of social reality encompasses intra- and interpersonal processes that influence social interaction. Microsociological theories address dyads, triads, and small groups—the everyday social structures that influence (and constrain) experience (Turner 2010). This chapter surveys contemporary sociologi- cal theories and research that address four micro- level processes: social exchange, trust, justice, and legitimacy. These four processes are central in social life; they are common themes that are diffuse and active in virtually all social interac- tions. Whether experiences are novel or routine, attitudes and behaviors are greatly influenced by social norms that represent what is right and proper. Knowing how individuals (and groups) determine what is right and proper—and why social interactions often go smoothly—requires an understanding of how actors exchange resources, how they come to trust (and distrust) others, how they attribute actions and experi- ences as just or unjust, and how they endorse (or do not endorse) power differentials between self and others. The plan of this chapter is as follows: I first discuss how social exchange, trust, justice, and legitimacy operate as specific dimensions of social comparison. I then address each process individually, summarizing their basic elements and illustrating each. In each summary section I survey the recent literature that has advanced our understanding of how the processes operate to influence interactions in social life. Finally, I dis- cuss recent research that has examined interrela- tions of exchange, trust, justice, and legitimacy—work that has addressed some com- bination of these processes. In the literature, social exchange, trust, jus- tice, and legitimacy are often treated as analyti- cally distinct. Across the social sciences, there are thoroughly developed research programs that address each—to some degree—in relative isola- tion. Examining them together makes sense how- ever, as each is a specific dimension of a greater abstract process: social comparison. Comparisons are central in social life. There is ample evidence that individuals compare them- selves to others in the social structure on multiple dimensions, beginning early in the life-course and continuing throughout life (Jensen et al. 2015; Hoorens and Van Damme 2012; Boissicat et al. 2012). For instance, from early on we com- pare what we look like to what others look like, M.J. Carter (*) Sociology Department, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA e-mail: michael.carter@csun.edu 18