<p> Recent research has uncovered differences in values between individuals who identify with the working class (WK) versus those who identify with the middle class (MD). WK individuals strive for interdependence, group belonging, and orienting toward others; their MD counterparts strive for independence, standing out from a group, and orient toward the self. These contrasts have been shown to influence behavior. The current study utilized a paradigm for studying socially motivated underachievement to investigate how these contrasting normative guidelines affected behavior in a situation that pitted individual achievement goals against prosocial goals. WK individuals, relative to MD individuals, were expected to perform their worst in this goal conflict situation. The anticipated pattern of means emerged for WK participants, although not significant, such that performance was worst in the goal conflict situation. However, MD participants surprisingly performed their best when presented with this goal conflict.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1522610 |
| Date | 03 May 2013 |
| Creators | Zazworsky, Lisa M. |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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