To Give or Not to Give?: Sacrificing for Avoidance Goals Is Not Costly for the Highly Interdependent

Abstract

Is sacrificing to avoid negative outcomes in relationships always costly? The current study draws upon research and theory on approach-avoidance motivation and self-construal to test the hypothesis that individual differences in interdependent self-construal shape the outcomes of sacrificing in pursuit of avoidance goals. Seventy-three individuals in dating relationships participated in a 14-day daily experience study. Results of multilevel mediated moderation analyses showed that individuals who construed the self in less interdependent terms felt inauthentic when they sacrificed for avoidance goals, in turn, detracting from their emotional well-being and the quality of their relationships. In contrast, people high in interdependence did not feel less authentic when sacrificing for avoidance goals and were buffered against the emotional and relationship costs experienced by people low in interdependence. These findings identify a set of individuals for whom sacrificing for avoidance goals is not costly. © The Author(s) 2013.