Sacrifice in close relationships: Motives, emotions, and relationship outcomes

Abstract

Romantic partners often face situations in which their preferences, interests and goals are not well aligned—what is good for one partner is not good for the other. In these situations, people need to make a decision between pursuing their own self‐interest and sacrificing for their partner or the relationship. In this work, we discuss antecedents and consequences of sacrifice in close relationships. Specifically, we address when people are more likely to sacrifice, what are the motivations driving a sacrifice, and what are the affective consequences of this behavior for the person who makes the sacrifice (i.e., the actor), for the person who receives the sacrifice (i.e., the recipient), and for the relationship. We conclude by discussing important directions for future research on the implications of sacrifice for the well‐being of individuals and their relationships.

Partner Commitment in Close Relationships Mitigates Social Class Differences in Subjective Well-Being

“…Specifically, we hypothesize that being in close relationships characterized by high commitment would buffer lower-class individuals against the impact of their negative life experiences, thus attenuating social class differences in SWB. This aligns with prior research showing that commitment directly promotes behaviors that mitigate negative affect and conflict in relationships, such as promoting sacrifice (Finkel, Rusbult, Kumashiro, & Hannon, 2002;Rusbult, Olsen, Davis, & Hannon, 2001;Van Lange et al, 1997; see review by Righetti & Impett, 2018) and accommodations for a partner's negative behaviors (Rusbult, Verette, Whitney, Slovik, & Lipkus, 1991). Importantly, greater commitment also predicted relationship maintenance outcomes, such as lower likelihood of breakup (Arriaga & Agnew, 2001; Le & Agnew, 2003;Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2010).…”

Socially connected and COVID-19 prepared: The influence of sociorelational safety on perceived importance of COVID-19 precautions and trust in government responses

“…Feeling socially dissatisfied also motivates people to prioritize own individualistic interests over the interests of the collective (Righetti & Impett, 2017;Van Lange et al, 1997a;Van Lange et al, 1997b). Individualism is further associated with political beliefs opposing "Big Government", preferring personal autonomy over governmental interference (Kahan et al, 2011).…”

“…When individual and communal needs clash, people need to decide whether they are willing to sacrifice for the greater good (Day & Impett, 2018;Fritsche et al, 2011;Nowak, 2006;Trivers, 1971). These sacrifices for and investments in others are easier when people anticipate safety and connection with others, and are generally satisfied that their relationships fulfil their needs (Bartz & Lydon, 2008;Cialdini et al, 1997;Righetti & Impett, 2017;Swann et al, 2014;Wiener, 1993). This is because satisfaction signals safety in the sociorelational bond as it reflects experiences that people have been responsive in the past and are likely to continue to be supportive and responsive in the future (Rusbult, 1980;Rusbult et al, 1998).…”

“…However, behaving in a way that supports collective needs can often constrain personal liberties (e.g., restriction of movement in order to prevent pathogenic spread) (Day & Impett, 2018;Holmes, 1981), and feeling that one's needs are consistently overlooked can erode trust in individuals and institutions (Huang et al, 2020;Reis, 2012;Torcal, 2014). By contrast, when people feel that their social worlds are safe and responsive to their needs, they become more trusting and more willing to sacrifice on behalf of others (Righetti & Impett, 2017;Van Lange et al, 1997a;Van Lange et al, 1997b). The current research used the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK as a backdrop to examine whether people who felt that their personal social worlds were safe were also more inclined to support government implemented COVID-19 precautions and trust the government behind these decisions.…”

A nice surprise: Sacrifice expectations and partner appreciation in romantic relationships

“…Partner investments, such as a sacrifice, are generally positively regarded by the receiver of such gestures and can trigger appreciation for the actor (e.g., experience a boost in gratitude; Joel, Gordon, Impett, McDonald, & Keltner, 2013; Righetti & Impett, 2017). In the present work, we characterize appreciation as greater felt gratitude and respect for the partner following sacrifice and hypothesize that sacrifice would elicit both a positive feeling (i.e., gratitude) toward the sacrificer as well as a positive evaluation (i.e., respect) of them, but only when a positive violation has occurred.…”