Uncertainty Threat and Inhibition of Compensatory Behaviors: A Goal Conflict Management Perspective

Abstract

Much research on uncertainty focuses on the compensatory responses that this psychological threat can trigger. Previous work has provided considerable insight into the kinds of effects that uncertainty can cause, but provides somewhat less insight into the actual process of uncertainty management. We consider this process from the perspective of uncertainty as a signal of goal conflict, and suggest that this conflict can be conceptualized in terms of the interplay between behavior inhibition and activation systems. We present two studies following from this conceptualization which are consistent with the idea that a temporary, cognitive resource-dependent inhibition process may precede compensatory responses to uncertainty threat.