Agents of Reconciliation: Agency-Affirmation Promotes Constructive Tendencies Following Transgressions in Low-Commitment Relationships. (February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: SimanTov-Nachlieli, Ilanit; Shnabel, Nurit; Mori-Hoffman, Anael
• Is Part Of: Personality & social psychology bulletin. Volume 43:Number 2(2017:Feb.)
• Page Start: 218
• Page End: 232
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Subjects: interpersonal reconciliation -- the needs-based model -- relationship-commitment -- agency-affirmation -- identity-restoration; Personality -- Periodicals; Social psychology -- Periodicals; 302
• DOI: 10.1177/0146167216678861
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0146-1672

Abstract

Conflicting parties experience threats to both their agency and morality, but the experience of agency-threat exerts more influence on their behavior, leading to relationship-destructive tendencies. Whereas high-commitment relationships facilitate constructive tendencies despite the conflict, we theorized that in low-commitment relationships, affirming the adversary's agency is a prerequisite for facilitating more constructive tendencies. Focusing on sibling conflicts, Study 1 found that when commitment was low (rather than high), agency-affirmation increased participants' constructive tendencies toward their brother/sister compared with a control/no-affirmation condition. A corresponding morality-affirmation did not affect participants' tendencies. Study 2 replicated these results in workplace conflicts and further found that the positive effect of agency-affirmation in low-commitment relationships was mediated by participants' wish to restore their morality. Study 3 induced a conflict between lab participants and manipulated their commitment. Again, in the low- (rather than high-) commitment condition, agency-affirmation increased participants' wish to restore their morality, leading to constructive behavior.