You Should Know Me Better: Parents' Temperament-Insensitivity has Negative Motivational Effects on Bedouin and Jewish Adolescents.

We studied a recently conceptualized aspect of autonomy-support and suppression, not examined so far: Sensitivity to temperament-dispositions. Based on Self-Determination Theory, we hypothesized that, across cultures, disposition-frustrating decisions would have similar negative effects on adolescents' intrinsic-motivation to participate in decision-related activities, and these negative effects would not be mitigated in collectivist-hierarchical cultures, when parents make the decision.In Study1 (n = 570, mean age = 15.2 years) Bedouin and Jewish adolescents were presented with work-modes frustrating or supporting their shyness and sociability dispositions. For example, in one frustrating work-mode condition, shy participants expected to work with strangers. Then, participants indicated their intrinsic-motivation to participate in the activities. Study 2 (n = 278 Bedouins and Jews, mean age = 14.9 years) was an experiment using self-report and projective measures, examining the effects of temperament-supporting versus frustrating work-modes, ostensibly chosen by parents, on adolescents' intrinsic-motivation to participate in relevant activities.Both studies showed that, across cultures, frustrating work-modes had negative effects on participants' intrinsic-motivation. These effects were not moderated by cultural background.Results suggest that belonging to a collectivist Bedouin culture endorsing deference and obedience to parental-authority does not mitigate the negative motivational effect of parents' temperament-insensitivity, and this type of autonomy-support is important across cultures.