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Congruence Between Implicit and Explicit Motives and Emotional Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Activity Inhibition

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Abstract

The current research tested the hypothesis that activity inhibition–conceptualized as the degree of restraint an individual exercises over emotional and motivational impulses–moderates the association between congruence of implicit and explicit motives and emotional well-being. Congruence of implicit and explicit motives was expected to be related to a more positive well-being among individuals low in activity inhibition, but not among individuals high in activity inhibition. Two cross-sectional studies (Study 1: N=72; Study 2: N=147) were conducted to test this hypothesis. Both studies found the predicted pattern of results for achievement motivation, demonstrating that congruence of implicit and explicit achievement motivation was related to a more positive mood only for participants low in activity inhibition. There was no evidence of congruence effects for affiliation motivation.

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Notes

  1. Preliminary analyses did, however, show that gender moderated some of the relationships between implicit motivation, explicit motivation, and mood. Because these effects were independent of the analyses presented here, they will not be discussed further.

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Acknowledgment

I thank Todd Thrash for his valuable comments on a draft of this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wuppertal, Gaussstrasse 20, 42097, Wuppertal, Germany

    Thomas A. Langens

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Langens, T.A. Congruence Between Implicit and Explicit Motives and Emotional Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Activity Inhibition. Motiv Emot 31, 49–59 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-006-9038-5

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