Might Relational Self be Regulated by Promotion Focus? The Mediating Role of Authenticity

Abstract

This paper investigates the roles of regulatory focus and authenticity in the emotional responses to frustration of relational and independent self-aspects in Turkey, where both relational and independent self-aspects are becoming equally important among the educated-urbanized population. The suggested model that proposes authenticity mediates the relationship between promotion focus and emotional responses to independent self-frustration, and between prevention focus and emotional responses to relational self-frustration is tested on self-reported data collected from university students (N = 317). The results showed that promotion focus predicted directly emotional responses to frustration of independent self-aspect, while prevention focus directly predicted emotional responses to frustration of relational self-aspect. Surprisingly, authenticity was found to mediate the relationship between promotion focus and emotional responses to frustration of relational self-aspect. These results suggest that relational goals such as safeguarding the interests of significant others may be regulated not only by prevention strategies, but also by such promotion strategies, through perceived authenticity.