Researchers have concluded that individuals who perceive extrinsically related goals as relatively more important than intrinsically related aspirations show lower levels of psychological well-being (e.g., Kasser & Ryan, 1993). We found only partial support for the intrinsic goals hypothesis: In this cross-cultural study, Romanians and Americans both showed positive correlations with psychological well-being when community feeling (intrinsic) was considered central to their lives. However, when financial success (extrinsic) was held to be the most central aspiration, only the American sample showed a negative relationship with psychological well-being. Further analyses revealed the meaning of financial success for both cultures: For Americans, financial success was related to “power” and “security,” whereas the same construct more closely related to “self- direction” for the Romanian sample.
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