Affective compensation in the pursuit of aspired-to STEM and feminine identity goals

StatusPost-Print
Simple item page
dc.abstract.enPursuing more than one long-term identity goal places considerable demands on individuals. Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) often balance between two identity goals: being feminine and professional. Striving to achieve these two goals can lead to certain affective consequences, especially when they are not met. We investigated whether failure in one goal might possibly be compensated for by reporting success in pursuing the other goal. In Study 1 (N = 220), we found that having to report failures in both feminine and STEM identity goals led to more self-blaming (guilt and regret) and less self-affirming (pride and satisfaction) emotions as compared to having to report failure in only one or none of the two identity goals (i.e., success had to be reported instead). In Study 2 (N = 234), we observed that women who had to report failures and felt incomplete as feminine women or STEM professionals experienced less self-blaming when given the opportunity to compensate by describing their success and achievements than those who did not have such an opportunity. Moreover, women with the possibility to compensate and to experience completeness reported more self-affirming emotions than at the baseline measurement. In conclusion, we explicitly discuss the nature of compensatory effects concerning affective outcomes when pursuing identity goals.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.affiliationCentrum Badań nad Zachowaniami Społecznymi
dc.contributor.authorZaman, Sadia
dc.contributor.authorSpychalska-Waszek, Hanna
dc.contributor.authorDoerflinger, Johannes T.
dc.contributor.authorGollwitzer, Peter M.
dc.contributor.authorByrka, Katarzyna
dc.date.accessioned2026-10-29T11:48:17Z
dc.date.available2026-10-29T11:48:17Z
dc.date.created2026-10
dc.description.grantnumber2018/31/G/HS6/01382
dc.description.granttitleIdentity Goal System: Aspired-to Selves in Interaction and Context
dc.description.physical1-21
dc.description.sdgReducedInequalities
dc.description.sdgGenderEquality
dc.description.versionfinal_author
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s11031-026-10289-4
dc.identifier.eissn1573-6644
dc.identifier.issn0146-7239
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2701
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsClosedAccess
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.subject.enIdentity goals
dc.subject.enCompensation
dc.subject.enEmotions
dc.subject.enFeminine
dc.subject.enWomen in STEM
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleAffective compensation in the pursuit of aspired-to STEM and feminine identity goals
dc.title.journalMotivation and Emotion
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle