The American dream in Russia: Extrinsic aspirations and well-being in two cultures

Recent research in the United States suggests that individuals who strongly value extrinsic goals (e.g, fame, wealth, image) relative to intrinsic goa ls (e.g., personal growth, relatedness, community) experience less well-bei ng. This study examines such goals in university samples from two cultures- the United States and Russia. Participants (N = 299) rated the importance, expectancies, and current attainment of 15 life goals, including 4 target i ntrinsic and 4 target extrinsic goals. Results confirmed the relevance of t he intrinsic-extrinsic distinction,for both samples and that stronger impor tance and expectancies regarding extrinsic goals were negatively related to well-being, although these effects were weaker for Russian women. Furtherm ore, for both men and women, perceived attainment of intrinsic goals was as sociated with greater wellbeing, whereas this was not the case for perceive d attainment of extrinsic goals.