• DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.854
• Corpus ID: 29386968

Motivation by positive or negative role models: regulatory focus determines who will best inspire us.

@article{Lockwood2002MotivationBP,
  title={Motivation by positive or negative role models: regulatory focus determines who will best inspire us.},
  author={Penelope Lockwood and Christian H. Jordan and Ziva Kunda},
  journal={Journal of personality and social psychology},
  year={2002},
  volume={83 4},
  pages={
          854-64
        }
}

• P. Lockwood, Christian H. Jordan, Z. Kunda
• Published 1 October 2002
• Psychology
• Journal of personality and social psychology

In 3 studies, the authors demonstrated that individuals are motivated by role models who encourage strategies that fit their regulatory concerns: Promotion-focused individuals, who favor a strategy of pursuing desirable outcomes, are most inspired by positive role models, who highlight strategies for achieving success; prevention-focused individuals, who favor a strategy of avoiding undesirable outcomes, are most motivated by negative role models, who highlight strategies for avoiding failure. In Studies 1 and 2, the authors primed promotion and prevention goals and then examined the impact of role models on motivation. Participants' academic motivation was increased by goal-congruent role models but decreased by goal-incongruent role models. In Study 3, participants were more likely to generate real-life role models that matched their chronic goals.