EFFECT OF SHARING STYLES ON INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES AND TASK PERFORMANCE

Abstract

When faced with an obstacle in goal pursuit, people usually share about it with others. They may either share in an instrumental or expressive way, which may result in different interpersonal outcomes and task performance. This thesis sets out to investigate what these differences are through the use of an experimental procedure. Participants first completed a comprehension task before they were manipulated to share about their difficulties either instrumentally or expressively. They then rated instrumental and expressive comments on how much they agree with them, how likeable the people who wrote these comments are, and who they prefer to work with on a task. A second comprehension task was then completed. Results showed that regardless of their sharing styles, participants agreed more with instrumental comments, liked those who wrote instrumental comments more and preferred to work with instrumental others. Instrumental sharing was also found to result in better task performance via an indirect pathway through preference for instrumental others. These findings contribute to the literature on social sharing in goal pursuit and suggest that sharing in an instrumental style may lead to superior interpersonal and intrapersonal outcomes.