Social contract and Covert contract

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The terms “social contract” and “covert contract” are quite different in their meaning and scope.

Here’s a breakdown:

Covert Contract

• Definition: A covert contract is an unspoken, often unconscious, expectation or agreement one individual has of another in a personal relationship. It’s a “give to get” dynamic where someone performs actions or behaviors with a hidden expectation of a specific return, without ever communicating that expectation.
• Scope: Individual, interpersonal relationships (romantic, familial, friendships, professional).
• Nature: Usually a source of personal resentment, misunderstanding, and conflict when the uncommunicated expectation isn’t met. It highlights a lack of direct communication and often stems from a fear of directness or rejection.
• Example: A person consistently helps their partner with chores, secretly expecting their partner to initiate more intimacy, but never expresses this desire. When intimacy doesn’t increase, they feel resentful.

Social Contract

• Definition (Social Contract Theory): The social contract is a philosophical concept that posits that individuals within a society implicitly or explicitly agree to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the state (or a governing body) in exchange for protection of their remaining rights and the maintenance of social order. It’s the idea that society exists because of an agreed-to set of standards that provide moral and political rules of behavior.
• Scope: Society as a whole, macro-level governance, the relationship between citizens and their government.
• Nature: It’s a foundational idea in political philosophy explaining the legitimacy of political authority, laws, and the obligations of individuals within a society. It’s often debated and reinterpreted rather than “broken” by an individual in the same way a covert contract might be.
• Example: Citizens agree to obey laws (surrender some freedom) in exchange for security, public services, and the protection of their rights by the government.

Key Differences Summarized:

Feature	Covert Contract	Social Contract (Theory)
Scope	Individual, interpersonal relationships	Society as a whole, relationship with the state
Nature	Unspoken, often unconscious expectations	Implicit or explicit agreement on societal rules/governance
Communication	LACK of direct communication (hidden)	Underlying agreement, sometimes codified (e.g., constitution)
Outcome	Resentment, conflict, strained relationships	Legitimacy of government, social order, rights, obligations
Source	Individual’s internal beliefs/fears	Philosophical concept of societal organization

Finally, a covert contract is about personal, uncommunicated expectations that lead to frustration in one-on-one interactions, while the social contract is a broad, philosophical concept about the foundational agreement for how a society functions.