Barriers to Transforming Hostile Relations: Why Friendly Gestures Can Backfire. (February 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Menon, Tanya; Sheldon, Oliver J.; Galinsky, Adam D.
• Is Part Of: Negotiation and conflict management research. Volume 7:Number 1(2014:Feb.)
• Page Start: 17
• Page End: 37
• Publication Date: 2014-02
• Subjects: Conflict management -- Periodicals; Organizational behavior -- Periodicals; Negotiation in business -- Periodicals; Gestion des conflits -- Périodiques; Comportement organisationnel -- Périodiques; Négociations (Affaires) -- Périodiques; 303.69
• DOI: 10.1111/ncmr.12023
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1750-4708

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="ncmr12023-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Friendly gestures (e.g., smiles, flattery, favors) typically build trust and earn good will. However, we propose that people feel unsettled when enemies initiate friendly gestures. To resolve these sensemaking difficulties, people find order through superstitious reasoning about friendly enemies. Supporting this theorizing, friendly enemies created sensemaking difficulty, which in turn mediated people's tendencies to blame them for coincidental negative outcomes (<xref ref-type="link" rid="ncmr12023-sec-0009">Experiment 1</xref>). Further implicating these processes, individuals high in need for structure were especially prone to make these attributions (<xref ref-type="link" rid="ncmr12023-sec-0021">Experiment 2</xref>). Finally, we explored consequences of such blame, showing that blame mediates people's beliefs that mere contact with friendly enemies is unlucky and should be avoided (<xref ref-type="link" rid="ncmr12023-sec-0030">Experiment 3</xref>). Taken together, these results suggest that, rather than transforming hostile relationships, an enemy's friendliness can be so unnerving that it sometimes leads people down blind alleys of superstitious reasoning.</p> </abstract>