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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Emotion And Group Cohesion In Productive Exchange, Edward J. Lawler, Shane R. Thye, Jeongkoo Yoon
Emotion And Group Cohesion In Productive Exchange, Edward J. Lawler, Shane R. Thye, Jeongkoo Yoon
Faculty Publications
This study refines and experimentally tests a theory of relational cohesion that explains how and when actors become committed to one another in the context of multiactor exchange. The theory asserts that frequent social exchange results in (1) positive emotions that solidify and strengthen the person-to-group bond and (2) uncertainty reduction that renders the focal group more salient in relation to others. These two mechanisms produce a sense of psychological group formation and ultimately increase observable acts of commitment. In a “productive exchange” setting, three actors negotiate a joint venture that requires the assent of all members. The exchanges featured …