Intrinsic and extrinsic goals: Their structure and relationship to well-being in German and US college students

Aspirations for intrinsic (e.g., self-acceptance, affiliation, community fe eling) versus extrinsic (e.g., financial success, appearance, social recogn ition) goals were examined in German and U.S. college students. The structu re of students' goal-systems in terms of goal content was remarkably simila r in the two cultures, as evidenced by examination of the ordering of goals . Also, as in past work in the U.S., German college students who were espec ially focused on intrinsic goals had high well-being, whereas the reverse w as true for a focus on extrinsic goals. Some differences between the cultur es in terms of specific goals are also discussed.