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Choosing to enter or avoid diagnostic social situations.
Lindsey A Beck1, Margaret S Clark
1Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8205, USA. lindsey.beck@yale.edu
Psychological Science
|August 14, 2009
Summary
People with avoidant tendencies select social situations that avoid feedback on others' evaluations. This preference for socially nondiagnostic situations influences relationship dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Individuals' relationship choices are influenced by their desire for social feedback.
- Attachment styles, particularly avoidant tendencies, may shape preferences for social information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether individuals, especially those with avoidant tendencies, select socially nondiagnostic situations to manage social relationships.
- To examine the role of social feedback in guiding relationship formation and maintenance.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted, involving chronically avoidant individuals and experimentally manipulated avoidant states.
- Participants made choices between social situations offering varying levels of diagnostic feedback on interpersonal evaluations.
- Behavioral preferences for socially diagnostic versus nondiagnostic situations were assessed.
Main Results:
- Chronically avoidant individuals preferred situations with no social evaluation feedback.
- Avoidant students chose teacher-assigned groups (nondiagnostic) over self-selected groups (diagnostic).
- Experimentally induced avoidant feelings reduced the desire for interpersonal feedback.
Conclusions:
- Individuals' choices of socially diagnostic or nondiagnostic situations significantly influence their social relationships.
- Avoidant individuals actively steer clear of situations that provide evaluative social feedback.
- Understanding these preferences is key to comprehending the dynamics of social relationship management.
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