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29 - Uncertainty orientation
- Edited by Charles P. Smith, City University of New York
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- Book:
- Motivation and Personality
- Published online:
- 16 October 2009
- Print publication:
- 26 June 1992, pp 419-427
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Summary
In the past decade or so, social psychology and psychology in general have been dominated by research and theory on cognition and social cognition. Motivational theories have either been ignored or cognitive alternatives substituted. Our research program has attempted to integrate both areas, pointing out the importance of each to the other. This work has resulted in what is now a continuing series of volumes entitled The Handbook of Motivation and Cognition (vol. 1: Sorrentino & Higgins, 1986a; vol. 2: Higgins & Sorrentino, 1990). In those volumes, contributors from both camps were forced to think about these issues in depth. We also presented our research and development of the construct we present in this chapter, uncertainty orientation (see Sorrentino & Higgins, 1986b; Sorrentino, Raynor, Zubek, & Short, 1990; Sorrentino & Short, 1986). Our feeling is that this construct could serve as a stepping-stone for a more complete integration of the areas of motivation and cognition.
Uncertainty orientation was originally designed to examine individual differences in cognition related to achievement behavior (see Sorrentino, & Hewitt, 1984; Sorrentino & Roney, 1986; Sorrentino, Short, & Raynor, 1984), but it is now seen as related to many areas of general psychology. Unlike much of the research in cognition and social cognition, however, we do not assume a “rational” model of human behavior.
30 - A manual for scoring need for uncertainty
- Edited by Charles P. Smith, City University of New York
-
- Book:
- Motivation and Personality
- Published online:
- 16 October 2009
- Print publication:
- 26 June 1992, pp 428-439
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- Chapter
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Summary
The projective measure of Need (n) for Uncertainty relies heavily in its conceptualization on J. Kagan's (1972) notions concerning modes of uncertainty resolution. It also utilizes a scoring system similar to those developed for n Achievement, n Power, and n Affiliation (see chapters 10, 14, and 20). Scoring procedures are the same for n Uncertainty as they are for these other measures, and chapter 37 and appendix I of this volume should be consulted for information regarding scorer training, obtaining verbal material for analysis, and other methodological considerations.
J. Kagan (1972) viewed the resolution of uncertainty as a primary motive; uncertainty was postulated to originate from incompatibility between (a) two cognitions, (b) cognition and experience, or (c) cognition and behavior. Kagan also suggested that a major source of uncertainty is one's inability to predict the future. These categories provided a basis for identifying the presence of uncertainty imagery in stories written to a sentence lead or picture.
NEED FOR UNCERTAINTY IMAGERY (NI)
The scorer's first task is to decide if the story contains any references to the goal of resolving or approaching uncertainty. This goal refers either to the desire to overcome or understand contradictory ideas, events, or behaviors, or to the desire and/or willingness to deal with an unpredictable future.