Effect of obligation to help on positive affect: Comparing Japan, Romania, and the United States.

Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0367033 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1520-6629 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00904392 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Community Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2005-> : Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley
Original Publication: Brandon, Vt., Clinical Psychology Pub. Co.

Culture* ; Emotions*; Adult ; Humans ; Japan ; Romania ; United States

Culture shapes the experience of obligation. Comparing participants from three countries with different cultural backgrounds, this study investigated the effect of obligation to help on positive affect and satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Adult participants from Japan, Romania, and the United States recalled either a situation in which they helped spontaneously, without being directly requested to do so (agentic help), or a situation in which they felt obligated to respond to a direct request for help (obligated help). The results revealed that obligation reduced benefactors' positive affect, but less so in Japan. The effect of obligation on satisfaction of basic psychological needs did not differ by culture. The results suggest that obligation to help may have less detrimental effects on positive affect in countries such as Japan, where social expectations to help are more fully internalized.
(© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

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Keywords: culture; helping; obligation; positive affect; prosocial behavior; self-determination

Date Created: 20210607 Date Completed: 20211029 Latest Revision: 20211029

20221213

10.1002/jcop.22608

34096628