The Role of Age and Motivation for the Experience of Social Acceptance and Rejection

Autor/inn/en	Nikitin, Jana; Schoch, Simone; Freund, Alexandra M.
Titel	The Role of Age and Motivation for the Experience of Social Acceptance and Rejection
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 50 (2014) 7, S.1943-1950 (8 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/a0036979
Schlagwörter	Adult Development; Motivation; Peer Acceptance; Social Isolation; Rejection (Psychology); Age Differences; Interpersonal Relationship; Negative Attitudes; Positive Attitudes; Social Development; Emotional Development; Physiology; Arousal Patterns; Hypothesis Testing; Foreign Countries; Young Adults; College Students; Older Adults; Questionnaires; Regression (Statistics); Switzerland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Erwachsenwerden; psychologische; Motivation (psychologisch); Soziale Isolation; Ablehnung; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Negative Fixierung; Soziale Entwicklung; Gefühlsbildung; Physiologie; Hypothesenprüfung; Hypothesentest; Ausland; Young adult; Junger Erwachsener; Collegestudent; Älterer Erwachsener; Fragebogen; Regression; Regressionsanalyse; Schweiz
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. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01