Agency, Social Assistance (Communion), And Goal Pursuit

Abstract

Milyavsky, Kruglanski, Gelfand, Chernikova, and Ellenberg (this issue) propose a theoretical model on the compensatory relations between personal agency and social assistance. The paper is intriguing and thought provoking as it covers a large body of theorizing and empirical findings in psychology. It is an example for the often demanded-for attempt to integrate divergent theories and findings into a more general and overarching model. As an agency – communion researcher (Abele & Wojciszke, 2007, 2014, 2018; Abele, Ellemers, Fiske, Koch, & Yzerbyt, 2021) I will here concentrate on three of the many topics that are worth discussing: (1) constructs; (2) association of constructs; and (3) the association of agency and attitudes toward others.