The Empirical Studies On Intimate Relationship: The Determinants And Consequences Variables Of Approach-avoidance Motivation For Sacrifice

By definition, to sacrifice in intimate relationship is to forgo one's immediate self-interest for the sake of a partner or a relationship. Sacrifice may be passive (involving the forfeiting of desirable behaviors), active (involving the enacting of undesirable behaviors), or both. Previous research has focused primarily on two aspects: the benefits and costs of sacrifice. Some of the current study paid attention to the intrinsic motivation of sacrifice and implied that different motives led to the different behavior. The article attempts to examine sacrifice behaviors in intimate relationships from the perspective of an approach-avoidance motivation by applying daily experience methods and situation-simulated methods and to study determinants and consequent variables of approach-avoidance motivation for sacrifice in intimate relationship in the context of Chinese culture, with the aim of enriching the theoretical study, and making a contribution to promote the harmony intimate relationship in real-life.This study consists of one preparatory study and two series of studies. The preparatory study mainly collects daily sacrifice examples, and tests reliability and validity of core scale used in the following formal studies. Study 1 uses situation-simulated methods to compare married and dating participants' decisive role of an approach-avoidance commitment, investment size, relationship satisfaction and quality alternative on approach-avoidance motivation for sacrifice. Study 2 uses daily experience methods to detect the impact of sacrifice motivation to SWB and indirect effect of individual difference variables on SWB through sacrifice motivation. The results are as follows:(1) In different stage of intimate relationship, the main category of daily sacrifice is different between two type participants.(2) At the marriage stage, approach-avoidance commitment, satisfaction and investment size are significant predictors for approach-avoidance sacrifice; at the dating stage, avoidance commitment, investment size and quality alternative are significant predictors for approach-avoidance sacrifice. The mediating effects of approach-avoidance commitment are significant among satisfaction, investment size, quality of alternative and approach-avoidance motivation for sacrifice.(3) Consistent with the hypothesis, the approach motivation for sacrifice has significant positive correlation with daily positive affect and daily well-being, and significant negative correlation with daily negative affect. Inconsistent with the hypothesis, the avoidance motivation for sacrifice is positively correlated with daily positive affect and daily well-being, and negatively correlated with daily negative affect, but the correlations are not significant.(4) Establishing hierarchical linear model and introducing individual difference variables (love time, relationships intent, relationship satisfaction, anxiety attachment, avoided attachment) of intimate relationship at the second layer of the model could further explain the random effects of the first layer. Satisfaction significantly predicts positive affect, love time significantly predicts negative affect, love time and satisfaction significantly predict SWB, relationships intent, anxiety attachment and avoided attachment significantly influence the relationship between avoid sacrifice and negative affect.