“Please Care about Me!” or “I am Pleased to Care about You!” Considering Adaptive and Maladaptive Versions of Unmitigated Communion

Abstract

Unmitigated communion (UC) refers to the tendency to sacrificially care for others while failing to protect one's own needs within intimate relationships. Two studies were conducted to develop a new measure of UC that differentiated between UC that is self-oriented (motivated by a desire to feel affirmed or valued by others) and other-oriented (motivated by care and concern for the well-being of others). In study one, participants were given a draft of this new measure of UC, an established measure of UC and C, a measure of self-esteem, and a measure of depressive symptoms. Study two further refined the measure and considered possible connections between self- and other-oriented UC and dispositional tendencies toward shame, controlling and critical images of God, and attachment styles. Together, these studies contribute to the literature by demonstrating the importance of considering not only frequency of UC behaviors but also the motivations underlying these behaviors.