ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
Diversity in scarcity: financial scarcity uniquely impairs success-seeking beyond a universal surge in failure-avoidance.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Purpose: Social life is fundamentally shaped by how individuals perceive and respond to resource constraints. Although the "scarcity mindset theory" suggests a general cognitive cost of deprivation, research on how different contextual factors, especially time and financial scarcity, shape motivation structure remains limited. This study investigates the divergent effects of these two forms of scarcity on achievement motivation, specifically distinguishing between the motivation to pursue success (Ms) and the motivation to avoid failure (Mf). Methods: We employed a multi-study approach across three studies. Study 1 ( Results: Our findings across the three studies support a "Convergent-Divergent" model of social cognition under scarcity. (1) Convergence: Both time scarcity and financial scarcity consistently enhance individuals' motivation to avoid failure. (2) Divergence: The two forms of scarcity had different effects on the motivation to pursue success. Financial scarcity significantly suppressed the motivation to pursue success across both natural and controlled experimental contexts, whereas time scarcity did so only when experienced within an unbuffered, demanding natural context (Study 2; a pattern reflected by the control group's naturally high baseline of concurrent scarcity pressures); when isolated at a neutral baseline (Study 3), time scarcity showed no significant suppressive effect, leaving the drive for achievement intact. Conclusion: The findings of this study reveal asymmetric effects of the motivational system under different resource-scarcity conditions and indicate that the psychological impact of scarcity is highly context-dependent. These findings have implications for motivational interventions and organizational management practices targeting different groups facing adversity.
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