The Role of Respect and Need to Belong in Group Investment and Motivational Focus

Abstract

This study investigated the role of respect and need to belong in group investment and motivational focus by examining belongingness needs, group contributions and motivational focus in a sample that received respectful treatment versus a sample that did not receive respectful treatment. We hypothesized that group members that did not receive respect would exhibit higher belongingness needs. We also hypothesized that when engaging in group-serving behaviors, the motivations of members that did not receive respect would be group-focused rather than self-focused when belongingness needs were high. Participants were recruited online using the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform and then directed to a Qualtrics online survey website. Self-report questionnaire format was used to capture information about the participants’ feelings on belongingness, social standing and group membership. Group-serving behavior was measured using virtual money used in an investment task. Results demonstrated significantly higher levels of thwarted belongingness and self-focused motivations in group members that did not receive respect as compared to group members that did receive respect. The findings from this study offer new insight and a unique perspective into the interconnected areas of respect, group investment motivation and the fundamental need to belong.