An Investigation of the Associations Between Contingent Self-Worth and Aspirations Among Iranian University Students

Abstract

This study investigated the novel associations between intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations and internal and external domains of contingent self-worth among a sample of 502 Iranian university students. We found a meaningful pattern showing that intrinsic aspirations were positively associated with internal domains, whereas extrinsic aspirations were positively associated with external domains. Our survey data also suggested that the factor structure of the Aspiration Index, as well as the factor structure of the Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale in our Iranian sample were consistent with factor structures of foreign samples. Finally, the types of aspirations and domains of contingencies of self-worth meaningfully predicted variables related to well-being, confirming previous research. We discuss the nature of the associations between the aspirations and the domains of contingent self-worth.

Keywords:

• aspirations
• contingencies of self-worth
• Iranians
• well-being

Notes

1. Although physical health was included in this index, research shows that it is not clearly extrinsic or intrinsic (Kasser & Ryan, 1996). Thus, physical health was omitted from our analyses and discussion.

2. Additionally, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine an alternative structure of the CSWS. The resulting factor structure was less comprehensible, with some items loading onto different factors and the exclusion of an entire factor. The associations between the aspirations and the contingencies were very similar between the two factor structures; thus, for a more parsimonious presentation, we describe the results using the original scale.