COOPERATIVE, COMPETITIVE AND AVOIDANCE STRATEGIES - A COMPARISON OF JAPANESE AND UNITED-STATES MOTIVATIONS

Motivations of Japanese and U.S. young adults to use cooperative, competitive and avoidance behavioral strategies for success were explored. Japanese (N = 265) and U.S. (N = 349) university students completed the Cooperative/Competitive Strategy Scale. Japanese subjects, as compared to U.S. subjects demonstrated stronger and more positive values for the use of both cooperative and competitive strategies. In addition, Japanese subjects demonstrated a stronger motivation to avoid success when competitive strategy is required The results suggest that the scores of Japanese subjects may reflect a preference for intergroup competition and an aversion to individual competition.