Abstract
Three hundred and six (306) undergraduates participated in a study that examined abilities in interpersonal relations and interpersonal motivations. Results indicated that: (1) Three interpersonal motivations underlay interpersonal attitudes, namely, other-praise acquisition, other-rejection avoidance, and relationship avoidance. (2) Abilities in interpersonal relations, such as social skills and perceived interpersonal competence, influenced relative strengths among the individual's three interpersonal motivations. High levels of abilities in interpersonal relations lead to stronger motivation to acquire praise by others. In contrast, those with low levels of abilities were motivated to avoid interpersonal relations altogether. Those in-between were motivated to avoid rejection by others.
