Responses to Self‐Threat: Linking Self and Relational Constructs with Approach and Avoidance Motivation

Over the past few decades, researchers have amassed a large body of evidence documenting the consequences of self‐esteem (SE), attachment styles, rejection sensitivity (RS), domain‐specific aspects of SE (e.g., contingencies of self‐worth), and RS (e.g., race‐RS; appearance‐RS) following self‐threats. The present article suggests that these personality constructs share a common substrate reflecting approach and avoidance temperament and motivation. Approach and avoidance temperaments are theorized to interact with intrapersonal and interpersonal experiences to shape approach and avoidance motivation. Personality constructs serve as dispositional markers of underlying approach‐avoidance motivational orientations, which, in turn, lead to predictable patterns of goal pursuit following self‐threats. Individuals who feel self‐confident and relationally secure (e.g., high SE, securely attached, and low RS individuals) respond to self‐threats by adopting approach‐motivated goals to attain positive outcomes. Individuals who lack self‐confidence and feel less relationally secure (e.g., low SE, avoidantly attached, and high RS individuals) respond to self‐threats by decreasing approach motivation and/or increasing avoidance‐motivated goals to prevent negative outcomes. Consequences of adopting approach‐ and avoidance‐motivated goals are discussed.