The likelihood that someone will accept help is determined by several factors. Research in various fields of study have shown that having a higher need for autonomy decreases likelihood of...Show moreThe likelihood that someone will accept help is determined by several factors. Research in various fields of study have shown that having a higher need for autonomy decreases likelihood of accepting help. Therefore, the current research investigated the effect of need for autonomy on likelihood of accepting help in financial hardship. Furthermore, type of help was tested as a moderator of this effect. It was proposed that the effect would not exist for autonomy-oriented help, since this does not threaten people’s sense of autonomy (contrary to dependency-oriented help, which does threaten sense of autonomy). A survey in which participants were primed with financial hardship was conducted to test these effects. Need for autonomy was measured with the Index of Autonomous Functioning. Both the main effect and interaction effect were non-significant. Several explanations for these findings are proposed, such as a greater tendency to accept help among woman than among man.Show less
