The pleasures and pains of distinct self-construals: the role of interdependence in regulatory focus.
Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between self-regulatory processes that focus on promotion and prevention strategies for goal pursuit. Five studies provide support for the hypothesis that these strategies differ for individuals with distinct self-construals. Specifically, individuals with a dominant independent self-construal were predicted to place more emphasis on promotion-focused information, and those with a dominant interdependent self-construal on prevention-focused information. Support for this hypothesis was obtained for participants who scored high versus low on the Self-Construal Scale, participants who were presented with an independent versus interdependent situation, and participants from a Western versus Eastern culture. The influence of interdependence on regulatory focus was observed in both importance ratings of information and affective responses consistent with promotion or prevention focus.
Lee
A Y
AY
Marketing Department, J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-2001, USA. aylee@nwu.edu
Aaker
J L
JL
Gardner
W L
WL
D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010990:Pleasure-Pain Principle; D011337:Probability Learning; D012649:Self Concept; D012945:Social Values