'Seesaw of Emotions' and compliance: Beyond the fear-then-relief rule

摘要

Previous researchers have found that people who experience anxiety whose source is abruptly eliminated usually respond positively to various requests addressed to them. The authors of the present study used 3 experiments to demonstrate that a sudden withdrawal of positive emotions leads to a similar effect (i.e., increased compliance to requests and commands). The mechanism underlying this effect is probably related to how each emotion generates its own specific behavior program. When this program suddenly proves to be inadequate to new, modified external circumstances, the person begins to function mindlessly. The authors propose the term seesaw of emotions for situations in which a sudden retraction of the external sources of affect (regardless of its type) leads to an individual's increased compliance.