Regulatory Focus Dynamics and Conflict: Investigating the Relationship and Ratios of Prevention and Promotion Orientations to Social Conflict

Abstract

Three studies investigated the relationship of regulatory focus dynamics to social conflict. Study 1 found significant correlations between measures of chronic regulatory focus and different emotions, values and behavioral intentions across three conflict scenarios. Study 2 manipulated the framing of a conflict scenario as either prevention-focused, promotion, or both. As hypothesized, combined prevention and promotion resulted in the highest scores on satisfaction with conflict outcomes and goal attainment when compared to either prevention or promotion alone. The third study involved coding temporal data from stream-of-thought accounts of actual conflicts. Again, a focus on both prevention and promotion was associated with higher outcome satisfaction than either prevention or promotion alone, whereas a higher ratio of promotion-to-prevention was associated with higher process and relationship satisfaction.