Thriving and Striving Around the World: A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Relationship Between Achievement Goals and Flourishing

Abstract

The current study examines the relationship between achievement goals (mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoidance, and mastery-avoidance goals) and flourishing (emotional, social, and psychological well-being) in three countries with comparable human development but with different cultural values: USA, Japan, and the Netherlands. Previous research provided an indication for the relationships between achievement goals and well-being but does not allow to draw conclusions on these relationships across cultures. We used a comparable sample of adults (N = 919) of the three countries to examine differences between those countries in the relationship between achievement goals and well-being. Results showed that the relationships between mastery-approach goals and well-being were the same for the three countries while different relationships were found for performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. These findings could be partly explained by the cultural value of competitiveness and collectivism.