Fully Committed: Suicide Bombers' Motivation and the Quest for Personal Significance

A motivational analysis of suicidal terrorism is outlined, anchored in the notion of significance quest . It is suggested that heterogeneous factors identified as personal causes of suicidal terrorism (e.g. trauma, humiliation, social exclusion), the various ideological reasons assumed to justify it (e.g. liberation from foreign occupation, defense of one's nation or religion), and the social pressures brought upon candidates for suicidal terrorism may be profitably subsumed within an integrative framework that explains diverse instances of suicidal terrorism as attempts at significance restoration , significance gain , and prevention of significance loss . Research and policy implications of the present analysis are considered.     

关系规范对消费者抱怨意愿及潜在动机的影响模型

现有的关于向企业进行抱怨的研究均建立在“理性人”的假设之上, 而忽视了消费者同时作为“社会人”需要遵循一定的规范。本文引入关系规范的概念(共有关系规范, 交换关系规范), 通过实验的方法探究其对消费者的抱怨意愿及潜在动机的影响。实验一的结果显示在服务失误水平低的情况下, 共有关系规范下的被试相对于交换关系规范下的被试更乐意向企业抱怨, 而在服务失误水平高的情况下, 这种差异不显著。实验二进一步验证了这种关系, 并发现共有关系规范下的被试向企业抱怨, 是为了帮助其发现和改进服务中存在的问题, 以提高服务质量, 具有利他动机。     

Meta-motivational dominance and sensation-seeking effects on motor performance and perceptions of challenge and pressure

AimsThe current study aimed at delineating the effects of meta-motivational dominance and sensation seeking on performing challenging and boring tasks under pressure-filled conditions. Apter's (Apter, M. J. (2001). An introduction to reversal theory. In M. J. Apter (Ed.), Motivational styles in everyday life: A guide to reversal theory (pp. 3–35). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association) reversal theory and Zuckerman's (Zuckerman, M. (1979). Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimum level of arousal. Hillsdale: Erlbaum) sensation-seeking (SS) theory were used to postulate that high SS and paratelic individuals would perform better on challenging tasks in pressure-filled situations than low SS and telic individuals. They have also been hypothesized to differ on perceived pressure, challenge perception, and determination.Study's designSeventy-three young adults were divided into two distinct groups, telic and sensation avoiders vs. paratelic and sensation seekers, based on two distinct questionnaires. The participants performed boring and challenging tasks under pressure-filled and normal conditions in a counter-balanced order. Each performance consisted of 3-blocked trials of 10 min each. Number of completions and errors were recorded.ResultsPressure had little to no effect on performance regardless of participants' meta-motivational dominance. Under pressure, perceived challenge was higher than under normal condition, and participants, as expected, felt more challenged when performing the apparatus task than when performing the vowel-circling task. Paratelics completed more vowel-circling and apparatus completions than did telic participants, but not to the desired level of significance.ConclusionsIt seems likely that paratelic individuals tried harder than telic individuals when put into a unique, measurable, and uncertain situation. It is likely that paratelics needing varied, novel, and challenging sensations along with playful and enjoyment felt more inclined to participate in both tasks with vigor and enthusiasm to fulfill their needs. It is suggested that it may be the intrinsic form of motivation, which paratelics possess, that allow for better performances.     

健康动机的研究进展与展望

健康动机是人们想要健康的愿望, 是影响人们健康行为的一个决定因素。本文回顾了有关健康动机的理论、测量和实证方面的研究。比较值得推崇的健康动机的动力过程理论认为健康动机是一个内在的动力过程, 并把健康动机对健康行为的作用分为四个阶段: 产生健康愿望、制定计划、采取行动和对行动的坚持。对健康动机的测量主要有一般测量和具体测量两类。实证研究表明健康动机能促进个体的健康行为并由此提高其健康水平。     

Why convene rater teams: An investigation of the benefits of anticipated discussion,consensus, and rater motivation

This study explores the importance of anticipated group discussion, the consensus decision rule, and rater motivation in determining how well rater teams identify ratee behaviors, i.e., behavioral accuracy. Results, based on 382 raters in 111 teams, suggest that the anticipation of group discussion can improve behavioral accuracy, but it appears that the benefits of discussion-only teams are limited to this anticipation effect. Furthermore, it also appears that rater motivation plays an important role in this type of team. Rater teams required to reach consensus, however, appear to show improved behavioral accuracy, regardless of whether raters can anticipate the consensus discussion and regardless of rater motivation levels. Implications, especially for assessment centers, are discussed.     

Autonomy,culture, and well-being: The benefits of inclusive autonomy

In an attempt to understand cultural variation in motivation, we distinguished between the type of motivation (ranging from controlled to autonomous, as conventionally measured) and the subject of motivation (“I” vs. “my family and I”), creating measures of individual and inclusive academic motivation. Support was found for three hypotheses. First, Chinese Canadian and Singaporean students felt less relative autonomy than European Canadian students, on both the inclusive and individual measures. Second, individual relative autonomy was associated with psychological well-being (WB) for European Canadians and Chinese Canadians (Study 1), and Singaporeans (Study 2). Third, inclusive relative autonomy was associated with psychological well-being for Chinese Canadians and Singaporeans, but not European Canadians. Exploratory analyses are also presented, and implications for the theory and measurement of autonomy are discussed.     

The Button to Make Poverty History &; How to Double Your Donation

Even if together we could make poverty history, we would not all do our part. The paper presents a device that makes it more likely for everybody to do his part. This is achieved by making everybody’s contribution dependent on the other people’s commitment to contribute given that certain conditions are fulfilled. Furthermore, a device is introduced which, based on the same general idea, doubles everybody’s donation. Finally, possibilities, assumptions and limitations of such devices are addressed.     

Surprise and Motivation of Causal Search: How Are They Affected by Outcome Valence and Importance?

Two studies investigated whether the importance and valence of a target person's achievement outcome affect (a) the intensity of surprise an observer feels about the actual outcome and (b) the role surprise plays in the motivation of the search for a causal explanation for the target's outcome. The present experiments involved conditions controlling for the confounds among outcome valence, importance, and surprise. Both studies revealed that surprise intensity was affected by outcome valence and importance so that an important negative outcome elicits the highest surprise and unimportant success elicited the second highest surprise. Causal search was strong only after (unexpected) important failures. Results are explained in terms of an extended expectancy-disconfirmation approach.     

城市居民参加体育锻炼的动机路径模型建构

基于自我决定理论,调查350名体育锻炼者以构建城市居民体育锻炼的动机路径模型。结果表明：自主型动机与自主性支持、基本心理需求、锻炼意向有正相关,外在调节与前述各变量均有负相关,而内摄调节与前述各变量无显著相关,可能受中国传统“文弱”审美观念及现代生活压力影响;结构方程拟合结果支持嵌套中介模型,即社会体育指导员的自主性支持可正向直接预测锻炼意向,亦可通过基本心理需求、自主型动机和基本心理需求×自主型动机三个中介变量正向间接预测锻炼意向。     

削弱效应是否存在：工作场所中内外动机的关系

外部动机是否削弱内部动机？已有研究结论并不一致。澄清这一问题的有效途径是对外部动机的恰当分类。研究以165名企业员工为研究对象, 针对动机的动态性特点, 采用两时点纵向研究的方法, 以自我决定理论对外部动机的分类为基础, 探讨3种不同内化程度的外部动机--外在动机、内射动机和认同动机与内部动机的关系及外部动机内化程度与自主支持的关系。研究结果表明：(1)控制性、非内化的外部动机, 即外在动机和内射动机削弱员工的内部动机; (2)自主性、内化的外部动机, 即认同动机不会削弱员工的内部动机, 而是促进和保护内部动机; (3)自主支持环境促进员工外部动机内化的程度(即认同动机的增加)。最后, 研究对所取得结果的管理意义进行了讨论。