Situational and Personality Influences on Intrinsically Motivated Leisure Behavior: Interaction Effects and Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Intrinsic motivation in leisure activities has typically been viewed as being determined by factors in the social situation (e.g., extrinsic rewards, surveillance). However, it has been proposed that individual differences exist that make some people more likely to experience intrinsic motivation in their leisure regardless of the situation. In a laboratory experiment, 105 undergraduate students engaged in what was described as a leisure activity (puzzle game) under conditions that have been shown to foster (autonomy-supportive) or inhibit (controlling) intrinsic motivation. Prior to the experiment, Weissinger's intrinsic leisure motivation (ILM) personality scale was administered. With the use of hierarchical regression procedures, the ILM orientation was found to interact with the type of situation, and a facilitation - suppression hypothesis was supported, suggesting that both person and situation factors need to be taken into account to understand a person's intrinsic motivation in a leisure activity. In the autonomy-supportive condition, the stronger the participants' ILM orientation, the higher their intrinsic motivation as reflected by more time spent playing the game in a free time period and higher levels of enjoyment. ILM orientation was unrelated to intrinsic motivation in the controlling condition. Structural equation modeling suggested that participants' cognitions of competence and playfulness-leisureliness during the game mediated the joint influence of ILM orientation and social situation on intrinsic motivation. The findings also provide evidence for the predictive and construct validity of the ILM scale.