Choosing To Be Afraid: Preferences for Fear as a Function of Goal Pursuit
Choosing To Be Afraid: Preferences for Fear as a Function of Goal Pursuit
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DOI：
10.1037/a0015882
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发表时间：
2009-08-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.2
通讯作者：
Ford, Brett Q.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Tamir, Maya;Ford, Brett Q.
根据情绪调节的工具方法（M. Tamir，出版中），人们可能并不总是喜欢感受愉快的情绪而避免不愉快的情绪。相反，当他们可能有助于实现目标时，他们可能会被激励去体验甚至不愉快的情绪。考虑到恐惧有助于促进成功的回避，这些研究通过检查在准备回避目标追求时对恐惧的偏好来验证这一假设。与工具方法的预测一致，当参与者准备追求逃避目标时，他们倾向于增加他们的恐惧程度。这种偏好高于兴奋或愤怒的偏好，并且是避免（相对于接近或对抗）目标追求所特有的。考虑到恐惧的厌恶本质，这些发现清楚地表明，人们有时可能更喜欢感觉不好，如果这样做能带来有益的好处。
According to an instrumental approach to emotion regulation (M. Tamir, in press), people may not always prefer to feel pleasant emotions and avoid unpleasant ones. Instead, they may be motivated to experience even unpleasant emotions when they might be useful for goal attainment. Given that fear serves to promote successful avoidance, these studies tested this hypothesis by examining preferences for fear in preparation for avoidance goal pursuits. Consistent with the predictions of the instrumental approach, participants preferred to increase their level of fear as they prepared to pursue an avoidance goal. Such preferences were higher than preferences for either excitement or anger and were unique to avoidance (vs. approach or confrontational) goal pursuits. Given the aversive nature of fear, these findings clearly demonstrate that people may sometimes prefer to feel bad if doing so can lead to instrumental benefits.