Extreme relational orientation - 1 Running Head: EXTREME RELATIONAL ORIENTATION Giving Away Too Much: Extreme Relational Orientation and Self-sacrifice at the Bargaining Table

The authors identify an individual difference dimension that is an important predictor of distributive bargaining behavior. In three studies the “unmitigated communion” scale (Fritz & Helgeson, 1998) is used to measure extreme relational orientation, the degree to which individuals have a self-sacrificing concern for others. Results from three studies support convergent and discriminant construct validity of this dimension in a management student population. Moreover, this construct predicts the extent to which individuals give away value in their negotiations to a greater degree than other dimensions extant in the negotiation literature. This was found with a survey measure of accommodating behavior in everyday conflicts (Studies 1 and 2) and with a measure of value claiming in a negotiation experiment (Study 3).