Types of motivation, authoritarianism, social dominance, and non-conventional political participation in young people from Lima
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26439/persona2026.n1.8867Keywords:
non-conventional political participation, autonomous and controlled motivation, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, self-determination theoryAbstract
The political participation of young people plays a fundamental role in the exercise of citizenship, and in Peru, recent social mobilization in defence of democracy has made active youth participation visible. However, motivation for political participation in Peru has not been examined from the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, making it important to analyse it alongside other psychosocial processes associated with different forms of youth political expression. In this context, the present study examined how motivation (autonomous and controlled), authoritarianism, and dominance orientation related to two forms of non-conventional political participation (NCPP) (activism and radicalism) among university students in Lima. After providing informed consent, 201 participants (Mage = 22.40; n = 112 men) completed the measures corresponding to the study constructs. Results showed that autonomous motivation was positively related to activism, and indirect associations were also observed through authoritarianism and social dominance. Controlled motivation, on the other hand, was positively related to radicalism, and negative indirect relationships were observed with both activism and radicalism. Overall, the findings suggest that types of motivation are differentially associated with youth political expression, and that the links between authoritarian and social dominance orientations and distinct forms of NCPP are not uniform. In particular, the association between controlled motivation, ideological orientations, and political radicalism warrants further investigation, suggesting that their association, particularly with radicalism, needs further investigation.
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