Motivated Cognition in Relationships by Murray Sandra L.; Holmes John G.; & John G. Holmes

Author:Murray, Sandra L.; Holmes, John G.; & John G. Holmes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

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The Belongingness Goal Balance

Mortensen and colleagues (2010) and Sacco and colleagues (2014) shed light on the nature of the goal co-regulation involved in the pursuit of belongingness. The mechanics of a physical balance probably best illustrate our take on the logic of their experimental predictions. Figure 5.1 depicts a balance at rest. The weights on each end of the balance capture the goals to be safe from physical harm (on the left) and perceive value in caring, communal, and responsive interaction (on the right). In social life, safety and value are equally strong, but opposing goal pursuits. The “even” or level balance depicted in Figure 5.1 captures a state of goal conflict. In this standoff, no movement toward either goal is possible until something happens to tip the balance. Imagine safety and value goals as children playing on a seesaw. Seesaws only work if one child descends, allowing the other to ascend; if both children kept their feet firmly planted to the ground, neither would go anywhere. The same is true for progress in safety and value goal pursuits. Actionable goal progress cannot be made until something in the situation tips the balance in favor of pursuing one of these two competing goals.

In the belongingness balance, situations that make disease salient tip the balance in favor of restoring safety, whereas situations that put the value of pursuing interpersonal connection into question tip the balance in favor of restoring value. Tipping the balance in favor of one goal is not enough to leverage goal pursuit in its favor though. The balance also needs to be tipped against the other goal pursuit. Safety and value goals operate like ends of a seesaw. As one goes “up” in priority, the other must go “down” in priority for measurable progress to be made in the pursuit of the prioritized goal.

Tipping the Balance Toward Safety

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