Goal structures and interpersonal influence

Abstract

Interpersonal influence attempts involve two types of goals: primary goals, which drive and define the attempt, and secondary goals, which shape and refine message production. We assessed the relationships among these goals, which we refer to as the goal structures of interpersonal influence attempts. Participants (N = 714) provided judgments of the perceived importance of primary and secondary goals within one of fifteen social episodes, each of which was defined by an influence goal. Results indicated that primary goals (1) varied in importance and (2) were differentially associated with sets of secondary goals. A cluster analysis revealed meaningful higher‐order groupings that varied in terms of goal structure complexity and underscored positive associations between the primary (influence) goal and all the secondary goals except the relational resource goal.