The compensation effect of competence frustration and its behavioral manifestations

Abstract

The frustration of competence, one of the three basic psychological needs proposed by self-determination theory, has been widely demonstrated to negatively influence one’s motivation and well-being in both work and life. However, research on the recovery mechanism of competence is still in the nascent stage. In this study, a two-stage behavioral experiment was conducted to examine the restoration of competence and the potential moderating role of resilience. Results showed that individuals who were asked to recall experience of competence frustration performed better on subsequent tasks, manifesting their behavioral efforts of competence restoration. However, resilience does not play a significant moderating role in competence restoration. Through convergent behavioral evidence, findings of this study demonstrate the compensation effect of competence frustration.

Keywords

compensation effect / competence frustration / meaning maintenance model / need restoration / self-determination theory

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2024 The Authors. PsyCh Journal published by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.