Effects of motive-goal congruence on well-being in the power domain: Considering goals and values in a German and two Chinese samples

The effect of congruence between implicit and explicit motives on well-being has been repeatedly demonstrated for achievement and affiliation motives, but not for the power motive. The present study set out to establish whether a beneficial effect of congruence in the power domain exists for well-being. German, Hong Kong Chinese, and mainland Chinese participants provided data on the implicit power motive, power values and goals, and subjective well-being. In all cultural groups, participants whose implicit power motive and explicit power goals were better aligned reported more life satisfaction and positive affect; this effect was not found for power values. The negative association of power values with well-being, however, was mediated by the motive-goal interaction.