RESEARCH_FILE
Vicki S. Helgeson
Carnegie Mellon University
Known for:The theory of unmitigated communion — distinguishing healthy caring from self-erasing focus on others
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“If I disagree, they'll like me less”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“I can disagree and still be worth having here.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Open a notes app or scrap of paper and write three tiny preferences you actually have right now—one for food, one for music, one for plans. Circle the one you would say out loud first in a low-stakes setting later.
Key findings
- 1998
Unmitigated communion — focus on others to the exclusion of the self — is theorized as a distinct orientation with two components, overinvolvement with others and neglect of the self, and is associated with poorer psychological and physical health outcomes. A Theory of Unmitigated Communion ↗
- 2015
In a daily diary study, people high in unmitigated communion reported more daily interpersonal stressors and distress, linking the trait to day-to-day interpersonal behavior and lower wellbeing rather than to caring itself. Links between unmitigated communion, interpersonal behaviors and well-being: A daily diary approach ↗