Motivations for Complaint Avoidance: The Role of Motivational Systems and Conflict Expectations

This article examined complaint avoidance as a function of both the strength of people’s motivational systems and people’s expectations of conflict interactions. We suggested outcome expectancies and efficacy assessments mediate the associations between aversive and appetitive motivational systems, and complaint avoidance. Three hundred and sixty-six students completed measures assessing motivational systems (BIS/FFFS/BAS, RTS/RIS), outcome expectancies, efficacy assessments, and complaint avoidance behaviors. Our study provided partial support for our hypotheses that motivational systems influence complaint avoidance, and these associations are influenced by both outcome expectancies and efficacy assessments.