Handing Over the Reins: Neutralizing Negative Attitudes Toward Dependence in Response to Reciprocal Romantic Liking. (August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Koranyi, Nicolas; Meissner, Franziska
• Is Part Of: Social psychological & personality science. Volume 6:Number 6(2015:Aug.)
• Page Start: 685
• Page End: 691
• Publication Date: 2015-08
• Subjects: relationship initiation -- dependence regulation -- IAT -- ReAL model; Personality -- Periodicals; Social psychology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 155.2
• DOI: 10.1177/1948550615580169
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1948-5506

Abstract

Initiating and maintaining an intimate relationship means to live an interdependent life in which conflicts of interest are unavoidable. The occurrence and the impact of those conflicts are minimized to the degree to which individuals are motivated and able to put their own goals aside and accommodate to their partner's needs. In the present research, we examined the underlying processes that allow individuals to tolerate partner dependence when initiating a relationship. Specifically, we hypothesized that under conditions of high motivation to increase closeness to a potential partner, individuals neutralize negative attitudes toward dependence. We induced motivation to increase closeness by instructing participants to image a situation where an attractive mate reciprocates romantic interests. Subsequently, implicit attitudes toward dependence were assessed with an Implicit Association Test. Results were in line with the hypothesis and are discussed in the framework of accommodative self-regulation.