Thinking of you: Nonconscious pursuit of interpersonal goals associated with relationship partners.

2003/01/01 by Gráinne M. Fitzsimons, John A. Bargh · 7 citations
Psychology · #Attachment and Relationship Dynamics #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Cultural Differences and Values

paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.1.148

openalex publication_date 2003/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/24

Abstract

The mere psychological presence of relationship partners was hypothesized to trigger interpersonal goals that are then pursued nonconsciously. Qualitative data suggested that people tend to pursue different interpersonal goals within different types of relationships (e.g., mother, best friend, coworker). In several studies, priming participants' relationship representations produced goal-directed behavior (achievement, helping, understanding) in line with the previously assessed goal content of those representations. These findings support the hypothesis that interpersonal goals are component features of relationship representations and that mere activation of those representations, even in the partner's physical absence, causes the goals to become active and to guide behavior nonconsciously within the current situation.

Citations

• The correspondence bias.
• The unbearable automaticity of being.
• Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology
• Advances In Experimental Social Psychology

Cited by

• Self and other.
• Social Comparison as a Self-regulatory Measuring Stick
• Implicit and explicit preferences for physical attractiveness in a romantic partner: A double dissociation in predictive validity.
• The effects of nonconsciously priming emotion concepts on behavior.
• Goal Contagion: Perceiving Is for Pursuing.
• The Spreading of Disorder
• John Bargh [wikipedia]