Cody R. DeHaan

Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out

Social media utilities have made it easier than ever to know about the range of online or offline social activities one could be engaging. On the upside, these social resources provide a multitude of opportunities for interaction; on the downside, they often broadcast more options than can be pursued, given practical restrictions and limited time. This dual nature of social media has driven popular interest in the concept of Fear of Missing Out – popularly referred to as FoMO. Defined as a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent, FoMO is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. The present research presents three studies conducted to advance an empirically based understanding of the fear of missing out phenomenon. The first study collected a diverse international sample of participants in order to create a robust individual differences measure of FoMO, the Fear of Missing Out scale (FoMOs); this study is the first to operationalize the construct. Study 2 recruited a nationally representative cohort to investigate how demographic, motivational and well-being factors relate to FoMO. Study 3 examined the behavioral and emotional correlates of fear of missing out in a sample of young adults. Implications of the FoMOs measure and for the future study of FoMO are discussed.

Parental autonomy support and discrepancies between implicit and explicit sexual identities: Dynamics of self-acceptance and defense

When individuals grow up with autonomy-thwarting parents, they may be prevented from exploring internally endorsed values and identities and as a result shut out aspects of the self perceived to be unacceptable. Given the stigmatization of homosexuality, individuals perceiving low autonomy support from parents may be especially motivated to conceal same-sex sexual attraction, leading to defensive processes such as reaction formation. Four studies tested a model wherein perceived parental autonomy support is associated with lower discrepancies between self-reported sexual orientation and implicit sexual orientation (assessed with a reaction time task). These indices interacted to predict anti-gay responding indicative of reaction formation. Studies 2-4 showed that an implicit/explicit discrepancy was particularly pronounced in participants who experienced their fathers as both low in autonomy support and homophobic, though results were inconsistent for mothers. Findings of Study 3 suggested contingent self-esteem as a link between parenting styles and discrepancies in sexual orientation measures.

Hurting You Hurts Me Too The Psychological Costs of Complying With Ostracism

Much research has documented the harmful psychological effects of being ostracized, but research has yet to determine whether compliance with ostracizing other people is psychologically costly. We conducted two studies guided by self-determination theory to explore this question, using a paradigm that borrows from both ostracism research and Milgram’s classic study of obedience. Supporting our guiding hypothesis that compliance with ostracizing others carries psychological costs, the results of Experiment 1 showed that such compliance worsened mood compared with complying with instructions to include others and with receiving no instructions involving inclusion or exclusion, an effect explained by thwarted psychological needs resulting from ostracizing others. Experiment 2 revealed increases in negative affect both when individuals ostracized others and when individuals were ostracized themselves. Our findings point to the robust psychological costs associated with ostracizing other people, with implications for group behaviors.

Symptoms of Wellness: Happiness and Eudaimonia from a Self-Determination Perspective

Questions concerning the nature of happiness and wellness are age-old, as are the ways in which people strive to achieve them. Two traditions dominate theorizing about pathways to happiness and the good life. The hedonic tradition focuses on happiness as a desired subjective outcome, with interest in variables predicting it. The eudaimonic tradition focuses on characteristics associated with living well, defined in terms of realization of human potentials, and views happiness as one by-product of such living. Research within Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has links with each of these traditions. First, SDT explicitly distinguishes wellness from happiness, seeing the latter as a symptom of the former. Second, SDT research provides insights concerning how awareness, self-regulation, and a focus on intrinsic values, all attributes associated with eudaimonia, are associated with both wellness and positive hedonic outcomes, whereas some seemingly hedonistic lifestyles such as materialism can fail to yield even hedonic rewards. Most importantly, SDT highlights how social and environmental factors that support the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness facilitate happiness and wellness, providing practical, evidence-supported directions for human betterment.Questions concerning the nature of happiness and wellness are age-old, as are the ways in which people strive to achieve them. Two traditions dominate theorizing about pathways to happiness and the good life. The hedonic tradition focuses on happiness as a desired subjective outcome, with interest in variables predicting it. The eudaimonic tradition focuses on characteristics associated with living well, defined in terms of realization of human potentials, and views happiness as one by-product of such living. Research within Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has links with each of these traditions. First, SDT explicitly distinguishes wellness from happiness, seeing the latter as a symptom of the former. Second, SDT research provides insights concerning how awareness, self-regulation, and a focus on intrinsic values, all attributes associated with eudaimonia, are associated with both wellness and positive hedonic outcomes, whereas some seemingly hedonistic lifestyles such as materialism can fail to yield even hedonic rewards. Most importantly, SDT highlights how social and environmental factors that support the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness facilitate happiness and wellness, providing practical, evidence-supported directions for human betterment.

On the Mutuality of Human Motivation and Relationships

Motivational processes are responsible for initiating and directing human activity; they energize behavior, generate and increase task engagement, and direct actions toward certain ends or goals. They are also inextricably linked with relational experiences. People bring their goals, values, hopes, and past regulatory experiences to bear on various types of relationships and interactions. The nature of these motivational forces that bring people into contact with each other, and that keep them interacting, plays a critical role in relationships. The chapters collected in this book describe the links between human motivation and the influential interactions and relationships that shape individuals’ daily lives and long-term experiences.

Righting the Wrong: Reparative Coping After Going Along With Ostracism

ABSTRACT Most of the focus within the ostracism literature concerns the negative effects on the ostracized and how they cope following ostracism. Research is now beginning to illuminate negative psychological effects for ostracizers, yet no studies to date have examined their coping responses. This study continues this line of inquiry focusing on experiences of going along with ostracism, both by employing a face-to-face interaction and by exploring prosocial versus antisocial coping reactions in ostracizers. Results reveal that compared to those in a neutral condition, compliant ostracizers suffered because ostracizing someone else frustrated their psychological needs for autonomy and relatedness. Further, when given the chance, ostracizers were more inclusive of the person they previously ostracized. Discussion considers important avenues for future research as well as implications of results.

Examining links from civic engagement to daily well-being from a self-determination theory perspective

Abstract Civic engagement may benefit individuals who engage in it, yet empirical evidence is lacking. We examined whether civic engagement was associated with well-being in a seven-day daily diary study of 276 college students. Based on self-determination theory, we hypothesized that satisfaction of basic psychological needs mediates the link between civic engagement and well-being. Four types of civic engagement – helping, pro-environmental behavior, volunteering, and charitable giving – were examined as separate predictors and as a composite predictor of daily well-being. The composite was associated with higher well-being across days, and basic needs satisfaction had a significant indirect effect on this association. Helping and pro-environmental behavior were linked to daily well-being directly and indirectly through basic needs satisfaction. No effects were evident for volunteering or charitable giving. Results suggest that civic engagement may enhance well-being, although some types of civic engagement may enhance well-being more than others.