Trading in search of structure: Market relationships as a compensatory control tool

Rooting our model in the compensatory control theory, we propose that one reason behind the prevalence of market relationships in modern society is that the fundamental need for orderliness makes them psychologically appealing because of the structure they provide. The initial study confirmed that market relationships are perceived as more structured than communal relationships. In 13 experiments (including 2 preregistered ones), we examined the causal relationship between personal control and preferences for market relationships. First, participants with a threatened sense of control preferred market over communal relationships and interpreted ambiguous social interactions as market-related. Second, the salience of market relationships triggered a sense of control and evoked internal explanations of various events. Finally, priming market relationships reduced the search for other compensatory control tools in the face of external threats. We also demonstrated that market relationships are appealing because of their structure, as perceiving ambiguous situations as market-related after threatening control was moderated by Personal Need for Structure, and the relation between market relationships and the sense of control was mediated by perceived structure. Finally, we tested boundary conditions of the above effects and provided evidence that people facing control threat tend to prefer market-oriented rules in relations with strangers rather than with those close to them, and that the relation between market relationships and sense of control is absent among securely attached individuals. We discuss why market relationships compensate for lack of control and refer to other disciplines to explain this phenomenon. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).