Abstract
Can thinking about responsive relationships increase openness to failure? Study 1 tested whether subliminally priming responsiveness would increase accessibility of words associated with a failed intelligence test. Compared to participants primed with acquaintances or nonsense letters, participants primed with responsive partners were quicker to recognize words associated with failure and did so more accurately, suggesting lesser defensiveness. Study 2 tested whether supraliminally priming responsiveness would decrease self-handicapping on a difficult and potentially embarrassing task. Compared to participants who thought about friends or acquaintances, participants who thought about responsive relationships claimed less external interference with their abilities. These findings indicate that relationships characterized by understanding and validation may promote nondefensive reactions to real or potential failure.
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