For love or money? How activation of relational versus instrumental concerns affects reactions to decision-making procedures

Journal article | Zeitschriftenartikel

We investigate how the direct activation of relational versus instrumental concerns affects reactions to decisions made by an authority. It is demonstrated that when instrumental concerns are experimentally induced, people's evaluations of the authority (Studies 1 and 2) as well as their intentions to protest (Study 3) are more strongly affected by how the procedures used by the authority affect anticipated outcomes (i.e., whether procedures are favorably or unfavorably inaccurate) than when relational concerns are activated. By contrast, authority evaluations (Study 2) and protest intentions (Study 3) are more strongly affected by whether procedures used are fair (accurate) or unfair (inaccurate) when relational (versus instrumental) concerns are activated. These findings extend previous research where relational versus instrumental concerns were inferred, but not directly examined, to explain differences in responses to authorities' decisions.

Object Details

• Extent: Seite(n): 80-94
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Postprint; begutachtet (peer reviewed)

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(1)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Psychologie ; Sozialpsychologie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Ståhl, Tomas ; Vermunt, Riël ; Ellemers, Naomi
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika
• (when): 2007

Further information

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2007.02.004
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-207424
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:26 PM CEST