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Social identity constitutes a significant aspect of an individual’s self-concept, shaped by membership in various social groups, including gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political affiliation. Individuals associate specific traits with particular social groups, leading to internalization of these traits. For example, musicians are often perceived as creative, while women are frequently associated with nurturing tendencies. Once individuals identify with a...
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Power motivation and achievement motivation are two essential social motives identified by psychologist David McClelland. These motives influence behavior in various personal and professional contexts, shaping how individuals interact with others and pursue their goals.
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Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
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Social comparison plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of personal success and self-worth. Rather than assessing our achievements in isolation, we interpret their significance relative to personal goals and critically in comparison to the performance of others. A grade of B in a mathematics exam might elicit pride if one's expectation was a C, yet result in disappointment if an A was anticipated or if peers achieved superior results. These comparative evaluations illustrate how both...
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Social class and identity-based motivation.

Oliver Fisher1, S Casey O'Donnell1, Daphna Oyserman1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, SGM 501, 3620 South McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, United States.

Current Opinion in Psychology
|August 22, 2017
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Social class and cultural contexts shape life aspirations. Identity-based motivation theory explains how cultural beliefs influence goal pursuit and attributions for success or failure, often leading to self-blame.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Cultural Studies

Background:

  • Individuals often struggle to achieve aspirations for a meaningful, healthy, happy, and successful life.
  • Identity-based motivation theory posits that social class and cultural contexts significantly influence goal attainment and the interpretation of life experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how cultural contexts, particularly American culture, shape individuals' interpretations of success and failure.
  • To examine the role of identity in mediating the relationship between social class, motivation, and life outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • The study draws on identity-based motivation theory.
  • It analyzes how cultural narratives influence attributions for experienced ease and difficulty.
  • Focuses on the inference of personal character from class-based outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Cultural contexts, like American culture, emphasize personal factors over structural ones in explaining success and failure.
  • Individuals tend to make culturally-tuned inferences about their identity and potential based on their experiences.
  • Class-based outcomes are often interpreted as deserved reflections of personal character.

Conclusions:

  • Cultural beliefs significantly impact how individuals perceive the causes of their successes and failures.
  • This can lead to internalized blame for outcomes influenced by social class and structural factors.
  • Understanding these cultural attributions is crucial for addressing disparities in life attainments.