Abstract
The role played by self-engagement in the prediction and consequences of goal-directed behavior was examined. Components of the Triangle Model of Responsibility were measured 4 days prior to the 2000 U.S. presidential election, and reported voting and reactions to the election were measured the day after the election. In support of the model, engagement in voting was highest when the guidelines for voting were perceived as clear, when the individual perceived personal control over voting, when the individual perceived voting as relevant to his or her role as a citizen, and when who won the election was important to the individual. Engagement in voting was strongly related to reports of actually voting in the election, and completely mediated the relationship between the other predictors and reported voting. Engagement was also related to a variety of behavioral activities (e.g., watching the presidential and vice-presidential debates, staying up late to watch the election results) indicative of investment in the election. Finally, being engaged in the act of voting prior to the election was strongly related to being in a heightened state of uncertainty and anxiety as a function of not knowing the outcome of the election. The importance of self-engagement in predicting behavior and emotional consequences to behavior is discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abramson, P. R. (1982). The decline of electoral participation in America. American Political Science Review, 50, 502–521.
Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In J. Kuhl & J. Beckman (Eds.), Action control: From cognition to behavior (pp. 11–39). New York: Springer.
Ajzen, I. (2002). Residual effects of past on later behavior: Habituation and reasoned action perspectives. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 107–122.
Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122–147.
Baron, R. M. & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.
Bollen, K., & Lennox, R. (1991). Conventional wisdom on measurement: A structural equation perspective. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 305–314.
Brehm, J. W. (1960). Attitudinal consequences of commitment to unpleasant behavior. Journal of Abnormal and Social Behavior, 60, 379–383.
Britt, T. W. (1999). Engaging the self in the field: Testing the Triangle Model of Responsibility. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 696–706.
Britt, T. W. (2003). Aspects of identity predict engagement in work under adverse conditions. Self and Identity, 2, 31–45.
Britt, T. W., Adler, A. B., & Bartone, P. T. (2001). Deriving benefits from stressful events: The role of engagement in meaningful work and hardiness. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6, 53–63.
Britt, T. W., & Bliese, P. B. (2003). Testing the stress-buffering effects of self engagement among soldiers on a military operation. Journal of Personality, 72, 245–265.
Brown, S. P., & Leigh, T. W. (1996). A new look at psychological climate and its relationship to job involvement, effort, and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 358–368.
Brunstein, J. C., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (1996). Effects of failure on subsequent performance: The importance of self-defining goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 395–407.
Brunstein, J. C., Schultheis, O. C., & Grassman, R. (1998). Personal goals and emotional well-being: The moderating role of motive dispositions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 494–508.
Burgess, D., Haney, B., Snyder, M., Sullivan, J. L., & Transue, J. E. (2000). Rocking the vote: Using personalized messages to motivate voting among young voters. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 29–52.
Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., Miller, W. E., & Stokes, D. E. (1960). The American voter. New York: Wiley.
Campbell, A., Gurin, G., Miller, W. E. (1957). The voter decides. Evanston, IL: Row & Peterson.
Charng, H., Piliavin, J. A., & Callero, P. L. (1988). Role identity and reasoned action in the prediction of repeated behavior. Social Psychology Quarterly, 51, 303–317.
Converse, P. E. (1972). Change in the American electorate. In A. Campbell & P.E. Converse (Eds.), The human meaning of social change (pp. 263–337). New York: Sage.
Fishbein, M., & Azjen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Fishbein, M., & Coombs, F. S. (1974). Basis for decision: An attitudinal analysis of voting behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 4, 95–124.
Flanigan, W. H., & Zingale, N. H. (1983). Political behavior of the American electorate (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time. New York: Harper Row.
Jaccard, J., Knox, R., & Brinberg, D. (1980). Designing political campaigns to elect a candidate: Toward a social psychological theory of voting behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 10, 367–383.
Jex, S. M., & Adams, G. A. (in press). Organization-based self-esteem as a moderator of reactions to role stressors: The influence of employee job involvement. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality.
Katosh, J. P., & Traugott, M. W. (1981). The consequences of validated and self-reported voting measures. Public Opinion Quarterly, 45, 519–535.
Lavine, H., Burgess, D., Snyder, M., Transue, J., Sullivan, J. L., Haney, B., & Wagner, S. H. (1999). Threat, authoritarianism, and voting: An investigation of personality and persuasion. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 337–347.
Lipset, S. M. (1981). Political man: The social bases of politics(rev. ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). Work motivation and satisfaction: Light at the end of the tunnel. Psychological Science, 1, 240–246.
Lydon, J. E., & Zanna, M. P. (1990). Commitment in the face of adversity: A value-affirmation approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 1040–1047.
Miller, A. H. (1974). Political issues and trust in government: 1964–1970. American Political Science Review, 68, 951–972.
Mischel, W., Cantor, N., & Feldman, S. (1996). Principles of self-regulation: The nature of willpower and self-control. In E.T. Higgins and A.W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (pp. 329–360). New York: Guilford.
Netetmeyer, R. G., & Burton, S. (1990). Examining the relationships between voting behavior, intention, perceived behavioral control, and expectation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 661–680.
Olsen, M. E. (1982). Participatory pluralism: Political participation and influence in the United States and Sweden. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Pomerantz, E. M., Saxon, J. L., & Oishi, S. (2000). The psychological trade-offs of goal investment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 617–630.
Rosenstone, S. J., & Hansen, J. M. (1996). Mobilization, participation, and democracy in America. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Sabucedo, J. M., & Cramer, D. (1991). Sociological and psychological predictors of voting in Great Britain. The Journal of Social Psychology, 131, 647–654.
Schlenker, B. R. (1997). Personal responsibility: Applications of the Triangle Model. In L. L. Cummings & B. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 19, pp. 241–301). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
Schlenker, B. R., Britt, T. W., Pennington, J., Murphy, R., & Doherty, K. (1994). The triangle model of responsibility. Psychological Review, 101, 632–652.
Schlenker, B. R., Pontari, B. A., & Christopher, A. N. (2001). Excuses and character: Personal and social implications of excuses. Personality and Social Psychological Review, 5, 15–32.
Sheldon, K. N., & Elliot, A. J. (1998). Not all goals are personal: Comparing autonomous and controlled reasons for goals as predictors of effort and attainment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 546–557.
Sheldon, K. N., & Elliot, A. J. (1999). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: The self-concordance model. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 76, 482–497.
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (1998). Pursuing personal goals: Skills enable progress, but not all progress is beneficial. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1319–1331.
Stokes, D. E. (1962). Popular evaluations of government: An empirical assessment. In H. Cleveland & H.D. Lassell (Eds.), Ethics and bigness: Scientific, academic, political, and military (pp. 61–72). New York: Harper & Brothers.
Wober, J. M., Brosius, H. B., & Weinmann, G. (1996). The European election of 1989: British television viewers' knowledge, attitudes, and voting behavior. British Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 233–244.
Young, J., Borgida, E., Sullivan, J., & Aldrich, J. (1987). Personal agendas and the relationship between self-interest and voting behavior. Social Psychology Quarterly, 50, 64–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Britt, T.W. Motivational and Emotional Consequences of Self-Engagement: Voting in the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election. Motivation and Emotion 27, 339–358 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026235723011
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026235723011