Testing the Effectiveness of a Self-Transcendent Purpose Intervention among College Students
Abstract
The present study explored the effect of self-transcendence on academic amotivation (AA), self-alienation (SA), and other factors relevant to the academic perceptions of first-generation college students; additional factors included academic sense of community, self-concept, and self-efficacy. Undergraduate students were recruited from introductory psychology courses in exchange for course credit. Participants were assigned to complete either a self-transcendent purpose intervention (STPI) or a neutral exercise; regardless of assignment, participants also provided demographic information and completed a series of questionnaires assessing the aforementioned factors. It was hypothesized that (1) the experimental group would report lower levels of AA and SA compared to the control, (2) AA would be positively correlated with SA, and (3) the first-generation students in the experimental group would report the lowest levels of AA and SA, while the first-generation students in the control group would report the highest levels. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
Subject
self-transcendencemotivation
academic amotivation
self-alienation
first-generation
college students
authenticity
perceived authenticity
psychology
existential psychology
Citation
Biehle, Austin Matthew (2022). Testing the Effectiveness of a Self-Transcendent Purpose Intervention among College Students. Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /196527.