Conceiving one's national group as transgenerational: Effects on attitudes towards 'foreign' and diaspora migrants.

The current paper presents three studies, which suggest that perceiving one's nation as transgenerational (TG) is related to a differentiation in the evaluation of ethnically German diaspora migrants and ethnically non-German ('foreign') migrants. First, we find that unlike 'classical' concepts such as right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and hierarchic self-interest (HSI), TG explains differences in derogatory sentiments expressed towards diaspora and 'foreign' migrants. Second, TG is differentially related to positive emotions and behavioral intentions expressed towards these two groups of migrants. Lastly, results indicate that people who perceive the ingroup as TG require 'foreign' migrants to fulfill more criteria that make them eligible for citizenship and are thereby more exclusionist than people who include only the current generation into their concept of national identity. The social implications of these findings in face of the so-called refugee crisis in Germany and the wider European Union are discussed.

Self-esteem, motivation and school attendance among sub-Saharan African girls: A self-determination theory perspective.

Sub-Saharan samples are severely under-represented in the psychological literature. Taking an ecological approach, the current study examines key propositions derived from self-determination theory in a sample of adolescent girls in Mozambique. As a framework theory, self-determination theory consists of six sub-theories. We test the main premises of two of these theories: organismic integration theory and basic psychological need theory. In line with organismic integration theory, we assess the role of intrinsic, extrinsic, introjected and identified motivation for school attendance. We also test the possible moderating role of the ecological variable resource scarcity. The second part of the study focuses on the main premise of the basic psychological need sub-theory, which states that satisfaction of the needs for relatedness, competence and autonomy underlies intrinsic motivation, goal-directed behaviour (school attendance) and well-being (self-esteem). The study also assesses the moderation of resource scarcity in these relationships. Results provide support for both sub-theories of self-determination theory. Resource scarcity is not found to moderate the relationships between motivation and attendance or between need satisfaction and well-being, motivation and attendance. Implications for the universality claim of self-determination theory, as well as for the field of international development aid, are discussed.

The Role of Intrinsic Motivation and the Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs Under Conditions of Severe Resource Scarcity.

An emerging field of research is beginning to examine the ways in which socioeconomic disparities affect emotional, cognitive, and social processes. In this study, we took a two-step approach to examining the role that resource scarcity plays in the predictive power of intrinsic motivation on school attendance, as well as its influence on the precursors of intrinsic motivation: the psychological needs of relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Results revealed that intrinsic motivation predicts school attendance even under conditions of extreme adversity. The satisfaction of the basic needs is more important for participants who are exposed to severe rather than mild levels of deprivation. Our findings illustrate ecological effects on the mechanism underlying goal-directed behavior. They provide evidence in favor of self-determination theory's depiction of humans as active, growth-oriented organisms and for the potential of psychological interventions to reduce poverty.

Blessing or burden? The role of appraisal for family rituals and flourishing among LGBT adults.

Despite recent trends toward greater societal acceptance of LGBT individuals in many Western countries, the elevated chances of being confronted by rejection and hostility or fear are still likely to lead to detrimental psychological health outcomes for this population. The current study assesses how the family can be a resource for psychological well-being. Based on self-determination theory and the family ritual literature, we hypothesize that the various family rituals enhance the chances that the human need for relatedness will be satisfied and positively contribute to the degree to which the person flourishes in life. Second, we test which factors mediate this pathway. For this purpose, a 3-factorial scale (Family Ritual Appraisal Scale) that assesses the appraisal with which LGBT adults evaluate the participation in family rituals was developed. In a multiple-mediation analysis, 3 factors (inclusion of self, inclusion of partner, and sense of obligation) were found to mediate significantly the degree by which family rituals lead to higher levels of relatedness in the family and thereby to higher levels of flourishing. Together, the results suggest that it is meaningful to assess the ways in which family rituals are conducted and experienced by individual family members on the effects of family rituals on psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record