Relationship and self‐driven influences on goal characteristics for problematic events: Components of a cybernetic cycle

Abstract

Problematic events are potentially identity‐threatening situations that occur in dating relationships; such situations typically drive the pursuit of communication goals by problematic event offenders (Samp & Solomon, 1999). This investigation advanced an expanded model of cybernetic processes that recognizes the influence of both relationship and self processes on the production of goal characteristics within the problematic events context. As an empirical examination of the model, a multi‐stage study on dating partners was conducted. First, dating partners’ self and relationship perceptions were solicited. Second, dating partners were presented with a hypothetical problematic event and then were instructed to have a conversation about the event. After the conversation, general post‐hoc accounts and cued‐recall measures of goals were solicited. The results of this investigation highlighted the differential influence of relationship features on post‐hoc versus cued‐recall measures of goals, as well as the impact of perceptions of anxiety over relationships and loving, the number of self‐construct threats, and self‐esteem on the composition of offenders’ goal orientations after problematic events. The discussion section reviews the results of this investigation, as well as identifies the limitations and implications of this study for continued examinations of a cybernetic of model of goal driven behavior after problematic events, relationship features, self‐related features, and goal characteristics.