Date of Award
5-2026
Degree Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
School
Psychology
Committee Chair
Dr. Kenji Noguchi
Committee Chair School
Psychology
Committee Member 2
Dr. Lin Agler
Committee Member 2 School
Psychology
Committee Member 3
Dr. Elena Stepanova
Committee Member 3 School
Psychology
Abstract
Introspection plays a critical role in motivation, achievement, and well-being. However, little research has investigated how introspection may mirror Baumrind’s (1967) parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive), suggesting that the ways individuals were parented could be internalized and later reflected in their inner dialogue. The present study investigates how distinct introspection styles influence self-efficacy, affect, and motivation following failure feedback. Participants received experimentally induced failure feedback following an intelligence test and then completed a guided self-reflection task designed to elicit one of the three induced introspection styles. A one-way between-subjects ANOVA was conducted with 180 undergraduate students randomly assigned to one of four conditions: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or control introspection. Results revealed a significant main effect of induced authoritarian introspection on negative affect, compared to the permissive and control conditions. No significant main effects were found for self-efficacy, positive affect, or motivation. However, exploratory moderation analyses demonstrated that the effects of induced introspection styles depended on the participant’s baseline introspection style. Authoritative baseline introspection produced stable effects across conditions, authoritarian baseline introspection showed increased motivation under critical and rigorous structure at the cost of higher negative affect, and permissive baseline introspection benefited most from structured, yet supportive introspection. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of self-reflection following failure depends on individual differences in baseline introspection styles.
Copyright
Jesi Pigg
Recommended Citation
Pigg, Jesi, "Introspection Through an Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive Lens: Implications for Self-Efficacy, Affect, and Motivation" (2026). Master's Theses. 1199.
https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1199