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Abstract
Although research has examined the consequences of relational self-construal (RSC), little is known about what psychological factors predict it. Four studies examined the association between compassionate goals and RSC. Study 1 showed that compassionate goals are positively associated with RSC in college students. Study 2 replicated this association among adults in romantic relationships. Studies 3 and 4 showed that compassionate goals predict increased RSC over time in college roommates. Moreover, Studies 2–4 showed that responsiveness to relationship partners statistically mediated the association between compassionate goals and self-construal. These studies suggested that people with compassionate goals have high RSCs and that they also develop higher levels of RSC by being responsive to relationship partners.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Rebecca Caulfield, Timothy Cavnar, Andrew Crocker, Paul Denning, Sarah Franz, Lilita Matison, and Dominik Mischkowski for their assistance with data collection and entry for Studies 3 and 4.
Notes
1. Theoretically, compassionate goals and responsiveness are two distinct constructs. Compassionate goals refer to the motivations or intentions that lead people to be constructive and caring toward their partners, whereas responsiveness refer to the behaviors or behavioral tendencies that indicate understanding, caring, and validation toward partners.
2. Although confirmatory factor analyses show that compassionate goals and responsiveness refer to two distinct constructs, four of the responsiveness items appear to assess goals as well, so overlap between the two measures might explain the mediation findings. To test this possibility, we operationalized responsiveness with the two items in the original measure that clearly reflect behaviors (i.e., “I behave warmly toward my partner,” and “I really listen to my partner when he/she talks.”) and tested the mediation again. Consistent with results using all responsiveness items, we found a significant indirect effect of men’s compassionate goals on their RSC through their responsiveness (effect = .25, 95% CI [.09, .49], p < .01), and a nonsignificant indirect effect of women’s compassionate goals on their RSC through their responsiveness (effect = .05, 95% CI [−.04, .24], p = .29). Thus, overlap between the two measures does not account for our finding that compassionate goals predict RSC through responsiveness toward partners.
3. Other findings from this study appear in Canevello and Crocker (Citation2010, Study 2; Citation2011, Study 2), Canevello, Granillo, and Crocker (Citation2013, Study 1) and Crocker and Canevello (Citation2008, Study 2). Note that RSC is not included in any analyses in any of these articles.
4. As in Study 2, we operationalized chronic responsiveness with the two items that clearly reflect behaviors and tested the mediation again. Consistent with results using all responsiveness items, we found a significant indirect effect of actors’ chronic compassionate goals on their increased RSC through their chronic responsiveness (effect = .25, 95% CI [.05, .45], p < .05), which suggests that overlap between the measures cannot account for our findings.
5. Other findings from this study appear in Bahns, Crandall, Canevello and Crocker (Citation2013), Canevello and Crocker (Citation2010, Study 1; Citation2011), Canevello, Granillo, and Crocker (Citation2013, Study 2), Crocker, Canevello, Breines, and Flynn (Citation2010, Study 2). Note that RSC is not included in any analyses in any of these articles.
6. As in Studies 2 and 3, we operationalized chronic responsiveness with the two items that clearly assess behaviors and tested the mediation again. Consistent with results using all responsiveness items, we found a significant indirect effect of actors’ pretest compassionate goals on their increased RSC through their chronic responsiveness (effect = .13, 95% CI [.05, .23], p < .01), which further suggests that overlap between the two measures cannot account for our findings.