The Impact of Negative Gossip on Target and Receiver. A “Big Two” Analysis

Negative gossip can negatively influence the gossip target as well as the gossip receiver. Building on the “Big Two” of agency and communion and their facets of assertiveness and competence (agency) and warmth and morality (communion), we show in three studies that negative gossip based on these four types of content differentially affect targets’ and receivers’ reactions. Targets’ identity threat was particularly high after negative...