Who Cares? Effects of Social Approach and Avoidance Motivation on Responsiveness to Others

Responsiveness to others (i.e., our understanding, validation, and support of important aspects of others) significantly contributes to positive social relationships. In the present research, we found evidence that responsiveness has motivational origins. In two experiments, participants who were ap...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2019-02, Vol.45 (2), p.182-195
Main Authors: Nikitin, Jana, Freund, Alexandra M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Approach-Avoidance
Avoidance behavior
Closeness
Emotions
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Motivation
Responsiveness
Social Behavior
Social motivation
Social relations
Social situations
Validity
Young Adult
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Summary:Responsiveness to others (i.e., our understanding, validation, and support of important aspects of others) significantly contributes to positive social relationships. In the present research, we found evidence that responsiveness has motivational origins. In two experiments, participants who were approaching positive social outcomes had a higher level of responsiveness compared with participants who were avoiding negative social outcomes. A third experiment disentangled the roles of motivation and situation valence. Positive (compared with negative) social situations were associated with higher approach motivation, lower avoidance motivation, and a higher level of responsiveness. However, within a given situation, both approach and avoidance motivation were associated with a higher level of responsiveness. This association was even stronger in negative situations, suggesting that both approach and avoidance motivation might be ways of behaving responsively in potentially difficult social situations. The effects were independent of relationship closeness and partly weaker in older compared with younger adults.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167218781335