title: Cross-cultural generality and specificity in self-regulation: avoidance personal goals and multiple aspects of well-being in the United States and Japan.
abstract: The authors examined avoidance personal goals as concurrent (Study 1) and longitudinal (Study 2) predictors of multiple aspects of well-being in the United States and Japan. In both studies, participants adopted more avoidance personal goals in Japan relative to the United States. Both studies also demonstrated that avoidance personal goals were significant negative predictors of the most relevant aspects of well-being in each culture. Specifically, avoidance personal goals were negative predictors of intrapersonal and eudaimonic well-being in the United States and were negative predictors of interpersonal and eudaimonic well-being in Japan. The findings clarify and extend puzzling findings from prior empirical work in this area, and raise provocative possibilities about the nature of avoidance goal pursuit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620, USA. andye@psych.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Elliot
authors.forename: Constantine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sedikides
authors.forename: Kou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Todd M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Thrash
authors.forename: Rachel R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Mapes
mesh_terms: D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012919:Social Behavior; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States