Why does one want to feel socially engaging emotions? The role of self-transcendence values on desired emotions among adolescents
Ping Liu, Shujin Zhou, Liyin Cui, D. Cai, Dan Li
Personality and Individual Differences February 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111257 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAdolescents who value self-transcendence (e.g., caring for others) tend to want more socially engaging emotions like empathy and love, while those who value self-enhancement (e.g., personal success) do not show a clear preference for socially disengaging emotions like anger. In one study, teens rated their values and desired emotions; in another, they chose images to view. Teens with stronger self-transcendence values chose more social and neutral images than those with stronger self-enhancement values. The findings support a value-based account of desired emotions in adolescents.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Two-part study (self-report survey and image-selection task) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adolescents |
| Keywords | Psychology |
| Key finding | Self-transcendence values positively predicted desired socially engaging emotions in adolescents, but self-enhancement values did not predict desired socially disengaging emotions. |
Abstract
Abstract The value-based account of desired emotions proposed that values were related to desired emotions. However, it is unclear that whether the associations are applicable to adolescents. In study 1, adolescents rated their self-transcendence and self-enhancement values and corresponding desired emotions. In study 2, adolescents were divided into two groups based on the scores of the two values, and the two groups completed the image-selection task. The results showed that (1) the self-transcendence values could positively predict desired socially engaging emotions (e.g., empathy and love), but the self-enhancement values could not predict desired socially disengaging emotions (e.g., anger and hostility); and (2) adolescents in self-transcending group chose to view more social-engaging and neutral images than that of adolescents in self-enhancement group. This study provides more evidences for the value-based account of desired emotions among adolescents, and implications of these results are discussed.