Source
Kasser and Ryan (1996), LIT-1977, PSPB 22, 280–287; read in NOTE-1525.
What was actually shown
Two kinds of aspiration. Seven domains load on two varimax factors, intrinsic and extrinsic, for both importance and likelihood, in both samples (Table 2, p. 282).
Study 1, 100 adults (Table 3, p. 283). With overall importance entered first: extrinsic importance with self-actualization β = −.52, vitality −.60, physical symptoms .46; intrinsic .40, .46, −.35.
Study 2, 192 students (Table 4, p. 285). Extrinsic importance with self-actualization −.67, vitality −.34, depression .30, narcissism .35, physical symptoms .43; intrinsic .59, .31, −.27, −.31, −.35. The pattern survived social desirability entered first, with depression and physical symptoms dropping to marginal (p. 285).
The scoring carries the result. The overall score averages all domains (p. 282); the result is about the balance of aspirations, the same reading Bradshaw et al. 2022 later gave through relative-centrality scoring (as reported in LIT-1967).
This could have come out otherwise: with overall striving held fixed, the content of aspirations could have been unrelated to well-being.
What this does not say
- That extrinsic aspirations lower well-being. “all data are correlational and cross-sectional, so no conclusions regarding causality can be made” (p. 286).
- That the pattern holds beyond the reasons for the goals. No measure of reasons; the authors call that test “interesting” (p. 286).
- That two independent results were found. Intrinsic and extrinsic Step-2 results are close to one contrast with opposite signs.
- That needs mediate. Need satisfaction is invoked (p. 280), not measured.
Connections
- NOTE-439’s C4 (“beyond the reasons for pursuing them”): this paper supports the first half only.