Measuring motivations: Integrating content and method

Effects of Bicultural Identity Integration and National Identity on COVID-19-Related Anxiety Among Ethnic Minority College Students: The Mediation Role of Power Values

PURPOSE

The current study investigated the association between bicultural identity integration (BII, incorporating BII-harmony and BII-blendedness), national identity, and anxiety related to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among ethnic minority college students. In addition, this research examined the mediation role of power values in the relationship between BII, national identity, and COVID-19-related anxiety.

METHODS

This cross-sectional research design made use of online surveys. Using convenience sampling, participants comprised 235 Chinese ethnic minority college students drawn from four colleges in the ethnic minority autonomous regions of China. Data were collected during June 2020. Participants mainly lived in ethnic minority communities or villages in southwest China before receiving higher education at urban campuses.

RESULTS

Correlation analysis revealed that BII-harmony, BII-blendedness, and national identity were significantly negatively correlated with COVID-19-related anxiety. Mediation model analysis showed that power values were significantly positively correlated with COVID-19-related anxiety. Power values play a mediating role in the relationship between BII-harmony, national identity, and COVID-19-related anxiety, and have an inhibitory effect on this relationship.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that BII-harmony and national identity could have the function of protecting ethnic minority college students from COVID-19-related anxiety. Emphasizing individualistic personal power values could increase COVID-19-related anxiety, whereas a collectivist identity reduces anxiety. These findings could provide another perspective on psychological interventions to reduce anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A pictorial Attitude IAT as a Measure of Implicit Motives

We tested the hypothesis that a pictorial attitude variant of the Implicit Association Test (PA–IAT) is a valid measure of implicit motives. The PA–IAT aims to capture attitudes towards pictures that are related to implicit motives. In the first two studies, we showed that the pictorial attitude Implicit Association Test (IAT) correlated more highly with non–IAT measures of implicit motives than other IAT variants. In the third study, we established the validity of the PA–IAT experimentally and showed that the pictorial attitude IAT correlated with non–declarative behavioural measures only if implicit motives were aroused. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Implicit Motives as Determinants of Networking Behaviors

In today's world of work, networking behaviors are an important and viable strategy to enhance success in work and career domains. Concerning personality as an antecedent of networking behaviors, prior studies have exclusively relied on trait perspectives that focus on how people feel, think, and act. Adopting a motivational perspective on personality, we enlarge this focus and argue that beyond traits predominantly tapping social content, motives shed further light on instrumental aspects of networking - or why people network. We use McClelland's implicit motives framework of need for power (nPow), need for achievement (nAch), and need for affiliation (nAff) to examine instrumental determinants of networking. Using a facet theoretical approach to networking behaviors, we predict differential relations of these three motives with facets of (1) internal vs. external networking and (2) building, maintaining, and using contacts. We conducted an online study, in which we temporally separate measures (N = 539 employed individuals) to examine our hypotheses. Using multivariate latent regression, we show that nAch is related to networking in general. In line with theoretical differences between networking facets, we find that nAff is positively related to building contacts, whereas nPow is positively related to using internal contacts. In sum, this study shows that networking is not only driven by social factors (i.e., nAff), but instead the achievement motive is the most important driver of networking behaviors.

Studying Values: Personal Adventure, Future Directions

This article first gives a brief overview of my adventures in developing two theories of values and the methods to measure them. First came my theory of the basic values on which individuals in all cultures differ. Then, quite unexpectedly, the opportunity arose to develop a theory of cultural values on which societies differ. As the story unfolds, I tell of failures, triumphs, and challenges. Values research has expanded in the past two decades beyond my wildest early imaginings. The second section of the article presents some ideas about future directions worth pursuing in values research. It describes competing theories and controversies as well as ways to go beyond them. I hope it will stimulate further advances in this field to which I have devoted more than 20 years.

Wie sich die Werte ändern

Zusammenfassung. Ein zieltheoretisches Modell zur Erklärung von Veränderungen in individuellen und gesellschaftlichen Werten wird vorgeschlagen. Die Theorie besagt im Kern, dass Menschen ihre Werte durch alltägliche Handlungserfahrungen, die sie in ihrem kulturellen Umfeld machen, verändern. Handeln wird als zielgerichtet angesehen und es wird angenommen, dass die affektiven und kognitiven Begleiterscheinungen und Ergebnisse von Handlungen wahrgenommen und verarbeitet werden. Aus den kumulierten Erfahrungen im Sinne von inneren und äußeren Rückmeldungen in einem Handlungsbereich schließen Personen auf die Werte, die sie mit den in diesem Bereich angestrebten Zielen verbinden. Gesellschaftliche Werteänderungen ergeben sich dann, wenn hinreichend viele Personen innerhalb der jeweiligen Kultur ähnlich gerichtete Erfahrungen machen. Wir spezifizieren Auftretensbedingungen und nehmen eine Einordnung in bestehende Theorien vor. Es wird illustriert, wie die Theorie den Inter-Kohorten-Wandel von Werten bei Jugendlichen erklären kann.