Time perspective and motivation in interpersonal contexts

Abstract

This study investigated the relations between motivation and time perspective in interpersonal contexts. The participants were 327 university and nursing school students, who completed a questionnaire regarding achievement motivation, social support, responsibility toward others, and time perspective. This study found the following: First, motivation toward self-fulfilling achievements was positively related to hope, goal pursuit, and fulfillment in the present. In contrast, motivation toward competing achievement was negatively related to goal pursuit and fulfillment in the present. Second, emotional support was positively related to hope, goal pursuit, fulfillment in the present, and acceptance of the past. Third, a sense of responsibility toward others was negatively related to hope, but positively related to goal pursuit. These findings demonstrate the importance of motivation in an interpersonal context that determines all dimensions of time perspectives, namely the future, the present, and the past. © 2012 Japanese Psychological Association.