The role of age and motivation for the experience of social acceptance and rejection.

Abstract

A study with n = 55 younger (18-33 years, M = 23.67) and n = 58 older (61-85 years, M = 71.44) adults investigated age-related differences in social approach and avoidance motivation and their consequences for the experience of social interactions. Results confirmed the hypothesis that a predominant habitual approach motivation in younger adults shifts toward a stronger avoidance motivation in older adults. Moreover, age and momentary motivation predicted the experience of an actual social interaction. Younger adults reported stronger negative emotions in a rejection situation when striving to approach acceptance rather than avoid rejection. Conversely, older adults reported fewer positive emotions in a rejection situation when they attempted to avoid rejection rather than approach acceptance. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that the same motivation has different consequences for the experience of potentially threatening social situations in younger and older adults. People seem to react emotionally when the achievement of important developmental goals (approaching others in young adulthood, avoiding negative social interactions in older adulthood) is thwarted. Moreover, results suggest that approach and avoidance motivation play an important role for socioemotional development.

Social identity threat in interpersonal relationships: Activating negative stereotypes decreases social approach motivation.

“…This negative effect of social identity threat on social approach motivation is important, as social approach motivation is crucial for establishing and maintaining positive social relationships (Gable, 2006), which, in turn, is essential for psychological and physical health (Umberson et al, 2010). This is particularly true in young adulthood because establishing a personal and professional social network is an important developmental task in this age group (Nikitin, Schoch, & Freund, 2014). As earlier research has shown that social networks are related to individual and group performance (e.g., Sparrowe, Liden, Wayne, & Kraimer, 2001), impoverished social networks in academic or occupational circles might lead to a downward spiral, hampering stereotyped individuals' performance and work-related success.…”

Individual Differences in Habitual Social Goals and Daily Well–Being: The Role of Age and Relationship Closeness

“…A recent large study found that although negative social interactions decrease with age, the association between negative social interactions and physical health increases across adulthood (Hakulinen et al, ). Accordingly, older adults are more motivated to maintain social harmony and to avoid or reduce negative social encounters than younger adults (Birditt et al, ), report higher levels of well‐being when they successfully avoided negative social encounters (Charles, Piazza, Luong, & Almeida, ), and report lower levels of well‐being when they were not able to avoid a negative social encounter (Nikitin, Schoch, & Freund, ). Do these developmental changes affect peoples' social approach and avoidance goals?…”

Who Cares? Effects of Social Approach and Avoidance Motivation on Responsiveness to Others

“…Despite its positive association with responsiveness, self-reported social avoidance motivation was negatively associated with subjective well-being. One possible explanation for this counterintuitive finding is that avoidance motivation is associated with focus on the negative aspects of the situation (e.g., Nikitin & Freund, 2014) and, thereby, leads to a negative experience of a given situation, irrespective of the level of responsiveness.…”