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Motivation for agreement with parental values: desirable when autonomous, problematic when controlled

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Abstract

Two studies examined the well-being and parenting correlates of autonomous and controlled motivations for agreement with parental values. We hypothesized that autonomous motivation would be associated with subjective well-being, whereas controlled motivation would be associated with agitation and guilt. Study 1 involved 399 Israeli youth (mean age = 23.8) and Study 2 involved 131 Israeli adolescents (mean age = 16.9). Results of both studies supported the hypotheses. The findings suggest that only autonomous motivation for agreement with parents’ values is positively associated with well-being. This effect is over and above the extent of agreement between offspring values and perceived parents’ values, and highlights the importance of distinguishing between autonomous and controlled endorsement of values.

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Acknowledgments

The work of the first author was supported by a Kreitman Foundation fellowship. Study 2 was supported by a Young Scientist Grant from the German-Israeli Foundation for Research and Development to the first author. The work of the second author and Study 1 were supported by grants from the Israel Science Foundation and the US Israel Bi-National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    Ariel Knafo

  2. Department of Education, Educational Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheba, 84105, Israel

    Avi Assor

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  1. Ariel Knafo
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  2. Avi Assor
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Correspondence to Ariel Knafo or Avi Assor.

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Knafo, A., Assor, A. Motivation for agreement with parental values: desirable when autonomous, problematic when controlled. Motiv Emot 31, 232–245 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-007-9067-8

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