If-then contingencies and the differential effects of the availability of an attractive alternative on relationship maintenance for men and women.

Abstract

In 7 experiments, the causal effects of the availability of an attractive alternative (AA) relationship partner on current relationship thoughts and intentions were tested using confederates, mental simulations, and virtual reality. Men behaved consistent with traditional relationship-commitment theories, showing decreased willingness to tolerate their partner's transgressions after the availability of an AA was made salient. However, consistent with a motivated cognition approach to commitment and work on relational self-construals, women increased their tolerance when presented with the relationship threat of an alternative. Word-fragment and lexical decision data suggested that AAs may activate threat for women, and their ability to dampen threat accessibility is associated with prorelationship responses. Finally, this "if relationship is threatened, then defend the relationship" contingency was induced in men with an implementation intention induction.

Relationship-specific identification and spontaneous relationship maintenance processes.

“…Consistent with the theorizing of Lydon and colleagues, relationshipspecific identification is conceptualized as a powerful, upstream predictor of relationship protective responses to relational threats, in the form of an "if relationship is threatened, then protect" relationship contingency (Lydon, Menzies-Toman, Burton, & Bell, 2008). It is also conceivable that high identifiers are inhibiting destructive responses, perhaps in the form of an "if attractive person, then approach" contingency.…”

“…Thus, to push the test of relationship-specific identification further, I conducted a study of participants' attention to attractive alternatives. My theoretical assumption, grounded in previous findings (Lydon, Menzies-Toman, Burton, & Bell, 2008), is that a relational threat may automatically motivate pro-relationship cognitions that influence behaviour. In the present study, I used an experimental manipulation of relational threat similar to Study 4, and examined whether relationship-specific identification interacted with relational threat to predict automatic attention to attractive alternatives.…”

“…Whereas the meta-motive of commitment predicts a wide range of relationship maintenance behaviours (e.g., Drigotas, Safstrom, & Gentilia, 1999; Finkel, Rusbult, Kumashiro, & Hannon, 2002;Johnson & Rusbult, 1989; xiii Rusbult, Verette, Whitney, Slovik, & Lipkus, 1991), relationship-specific identification is a more precise predictor of relatively spontaneous pro-relationship responding in the face of relational threat. I propose that once a relationship has become a core part of an individual's sense of self, a relational threat activates an "if relationship is threatened, then protect" contingency (Lydon, Menzies-Toman, Burton, & Bell, 2008) that allows one to exhibit relationship protective behaviours in a relatively fluid and efficient manner. Together, these findings make a significant contribution to our understanding of the processes that underlie relationship maintenance responses.…”

“…Indeed, I have preliminary data suggesting that relationship-specific identification is more highly associated with identified motives (r = .34, p < .001) than with intrinsic (r = .14, p = .06) and introjected (e.g., ought-based) motives (r = .11, p = .16). Second, a person who is highly identified with their relationship should have a highly accessible and elaborated representation of self in relation to other that is activated by relational threat, possibly in the form of an "if relational threat, then protect" contingency (Lydon, Menzies-Toman, Burton, & Bell, 2008), and that allows for relatively quick, fluid responses. In other words, I…”

“…In addition to having more accessible "if relationship is threatened, then protect relationship" contingencies, high identifiers may be more sensitive to relational threats and therefore better at detecting them (Lydon, Menzies-Toman, Burton, & Bell, 2008). There is some evidence to suggest that what individuals attend to in their environment is shaped by their sense of self.…”