Egoistic versus altruistic concerns in communal relationships

Although communal relationships are seemingly characterized by altruistic concern for others, individuals may differ in their degree of egoistic versus altruistic concerns in communal relationships. In the present research, we developed a measure to assess egoistic versus altruistic concerns underly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social and personal relationships 2011-05, Vol.28 (3), p.315-335
Main Authors: Park, Lora E., Troisi, Jordan D., Maner, Jon K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Aggressiveness
Altruism
Anger
Behavioural psychology
Community
Concerns
Depression (Psychology)
Ego
Emotions
Empathy
Hostility
Interpersonal relations
Mental depression
Motivation
Relatedness
Social functioning
Social relations
Symptoms
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Summary:Although communal relationships are seemingly characterized by altruistic concern for others, individuals may differ in their degree of egoistic versus altruistic concerns in communal relationships. In the present research, we developed a measure to assess egoistic versus altruistic concerns underlying a communal relationship orientation. These concerns were empirically distinct and predicted personal and interpersonal functioning. In Study 1, altruistic concerns predicted increased relatedness, empathy, and decreased anger, hostility, and aggression, whereas egoistic concerns predicted decreased relatedness, empathy, and increased anger, hostility, and aggression. In Study 2, altruistic concerns predicted more other-oriented (e.g., community) goals; egoistic concerns predicted more self-oriented (e.g., image) goals and depressive symptoms. Together, these findings highlight the importance of examining distinct concerns underlying a communal relationship orientation.
ISSN:0265-4075
1460-3608
DOI:10.1177/0265407510382178