The social costs of extrinsic relative to intrinsic goal pursuits revisited: The moderating role of general causality orientation

Previous research suggested that Self-Determination Theory’s distinction between extrinsic and intrinsic goal pursuits provides a partial explanation for individual differences in ethnic and racial prejudice in general and for individual differences in negative attitudes towards multiculturalism in particular. Negative attitudes towards multiculturalism would partly take root in valuing extrinsic over intrinsic goals. Results of the present study among university students (N = 440) suggest that the relationship between goal pursuit and multicultural ideology is less straightforward than previously assumed. Specifically, results suggest that it is moderated by differences in the causality orientation underlying people’s goal pursuit, with multicultural ideology only being less positive among people predominantly pursuing extrinsic goals for controlled rather than autonomous reasons.