Saturday, October 27, 2007

Appendix E: Reciprocity- The Gain Loss Hypothesis

Some people are attracted to others who initially dislike them but then come to like them: This is referred to as the Gain-Loss Hypothesis.


We like those who are at first cold, but then warm to us.

Aronson & Linder (1965) proposed two explanations

* Anxiety Reduction- When experiencing rejection anxiety rises- when rejection changes to acceptance the anxiety is reduced so we experience the pleasure of being liked.

* We may describe those who like us from the start as undiscriminating and not discerning- those who we have to fight for are more of an acheivement.


Please refer to Gain Loss Hypothesis Figure


Aronson, E., & Linder, D. (1965). Gain and loss of esteem as determinants of interpersonal attractiveness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1, 156-171.

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