TY - JOUR
T1 - A Sense of Obligation
T2 - Cultural Differences in the Experience of Obligation
AU - Buchtel, Emma E.
AU - Ng, Leo C.Y.
AU - Norenzayan, Ara
AU - Heine, Steven J.
AU - Biesanz, Jeremy C.
AU - Chen, Sylvia Xiaohua
AU - Bond, Michael Harris
AU - Peng, Qin
AU - Su, Yanjie
PY - 2018/11/1
Y1 - 2018/11/1
N2 - In this investigation of cultural differences in the experience of obligation, we distinguish between Confucian Role Ethics versus Relative Autonomy lay theories of motivation and illustrate them with data showing relevant cultural differences in both social judgments and intrapersonal experience. First, when judging others, Western European heritage culture (WEHC) participants (relative to Confucian heritage culture [CHC] participants) judged obligation-motivated actors more negatively than those motivated by agency (Study 1, N = 529). Second, in daily diary and situation sampling studies, CHC participants (relative to WEHC participants) perceived more congruency between their own agentic and obligated motivations, and more positive emotional associations with obligated motivations (Study 2, N = 200 and Study 3, N = 244). Agentic motivation, however, was universally associated with positive emotions. More research on a Role Ethics rather than Relative Autonomy conception of agency may improve our understanding of human motivation, especially across cultures.
AB - In this investigation of cultural differences in the experience of obligation, we distinguish between Confucian Role Ethics versus Relative Autonomy lay theories of motivation and illustrate them with data showing relevant cultural differences in both social judgments and intrapersonal experience. First, when judging others, Western European heritage culture (WEHC) participants (relative to Confucian heritage culture [CHC] participants) judged obligation-motivated actors more negatively than those motivated by agency (Study 1, N = 529). Second, in daily diary and situation sampling studies, CHC participants (relative to WEHC participants) perceived more congruency between their own agentic and obligated motivations, and more positive emotional associations with obligated motivations (Study 2, N = 200 and Study 3, N = 244). Agentic motivation, however, was universally associated with positive emotions. More research on a Role Ethics rather than Relative Autonomy conception of agency may improve our understanding of human motivation, especially across cultures.
KW - agency
KW - culture
KW - motivation
KW - obligation
KW - self-determination theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054420033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0146167218769610
DO - 10.1177/0146167218769610
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 29742994
AN - SCOPUS:85054420033
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 44
SP - 1545
EP - 1566
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 11
ER -