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The object of my protection: Shielding fundamental motives from the implicit motivational influence of others

Publication ,  Journal Article
Leander, NP; Shah, JY; Chartrand, TL
Published in: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
November 1, 2011

Goal shielding theory suggests that one's focal pursuits automatically inhibit the activation of interfering goals (Shah, Friedman, & Kruglanski, 2002); however, it is not entirely clear how individuals come to identify what constitutes "interfering". Three studies examine how this identification process may be guided by fundamental social motives that individuals possess, particularly in social situations wherein goals are primed through mere exposure to others' goal-directed behavior ("goal contagion", Aarts, Gollwitzer, & Hassin, 2004). Participants' fundamental motives for positive self-regard (Study 1), autonomy (Study 2), and distinctiveness (Study 3) were either manipulated or measured and participants read scenarios that manipulated the goal-directed behavior of a target other. Results indicated that participants inhibited the activation of goals being primed by others when the implicit influence interfered with their fundamental motives in some way. These findings suggest that fundamental motives can guide whether individuals will catch goals from others or shield themselves from such influences. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.

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Published In

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

DOI

EISSN

1096-0465

ISSN

0022-1031

Publication Date

November 1, 2011

Volume

47

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1078 / 1087

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
 

Citation

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Leander, N. P., Shah, J. Y., & Chartrand, T. L. (2011). The object of my protection: Shielding fundamental motives from the implicit motivational influence of others. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(6), 1078–1087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.04.016
Leander, N. P., J. Y. Shah, and T. L. Chartrand. “The object of my protection: Shielding fundamental motives from the implicit motivational influence of others.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 47, no. 6 (November 1, 2011): 1078–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.04.016.
Leander NP, Shah JY, Chartrand TL. The object of my protection: Shielding fundamental motives from the implicit motivational influence of others. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2011 Nov 1;47(6):1078–87.
Leander, N. P., et al. “The object of my protection: Shielding fundamental motives from the implicit motivational influence of others.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 47, no. 6, Nov. 2011, pp. 1078–87. Scopus, doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.04.016.
Leander NP, Shah JY, Chartrand TL. The object of my protection: Shielding fundamental motives from the implicit motivational influence of others. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2011 Nov 1;47(6):1078–1087.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

DOI

EISSN

1096-0465

ISSN

0022-1031

Publication Date

November 1, 2011

Volume

47

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1078 / 1087

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology