The Sting of Lack of Affection: Chronic Goal Dissatisfaction in Transference

The social-cognitive transference process evokes relevant affect and motivation. When a significant-other representation is activated, this indirectly activates motives and emotions experienced with that significant other (e.g., Andersen, Reznik, & Manzella, 1996). We predicted that this activated motivation in transference, if chronically, dissatisfied in the significant-other relationship, would provoke diminished approach motivation, increased hostility and, paradoxically, heightened affection-seeking behavior as hostility increases. Participants whose affection goals with a significant other were chronically dissatisfied (or satisfied) learned about a new person who resembled this significant other (or did not). As predicted, participants ill this resemblance condition whose affection goals were dissatisfied reported dampened approach motivation, increased hostility, and all association between this hostility and behavioral persistence on a task designed to solicit liking from a new person.