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Research Questions Past work indicates that motivational themes (e.g., agency, communion) relate positively with indicators of well-being (McLean et al., 2019). For example, Bauer and McAdams (2004) found that the theme of Agency related with greater satisfaction with a life transition and the theme of Communion related positively with general well-being. Additionally, in a review of empirical work, Adler and colleagues (2016) found that motivational themes are strong predictors of well-being over and above dispositional traits. In the present study, we sought to examine how the motivational themes of Agency and Communion in college students’ stories about being admitted to University related with indicators of psychological health. We will operationalize psychological health via self-report measures of positive emotions (Dispositional positive emotion scale; Shiota, Keltner, & John, 2006), meaning in life (Meaning in life scale; Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006), and self-esteem (Rosenberg self-esteem scale; Rosenberg, 1965). Agency was coded on a 5-point scale where higher values indicated greater emphasis on self-mastery, independence, and personal control over one’s University acceptance. Communion was coded on a 5-point scale where higher values indicated greater emphasis placed on how social connections and other people were integral to one’s acceptance to University. We will investigate the following research question: (1) Are Agency and Communion positively related with measures of psychological health (i.e., positive emotions, meaning in life, and self-esteem)? Hypotheses: (1) Agency will be positively related with positive emotions and self-esteem (2) Communion will be positively related with positive emotions, meaning in life, and self-esteem Covariates: We will test relations both with and without controlling for the effect of narrative length, gender, age, and ethnicity/race. Sampling Plan We will use existing data collected at the University of California Irvine (UCI) to investigate our hypotheses. 964 UCI students participated in an online survey exploring “how your experiences as a student shape your well-being”. In this survey, students were prompted to respond to the following prompt: Admission to the University of California Irvine is highly competitive, and many people that apply are ultimately turned away. In this study, we are interested in events and factors that, you believe, led to your admission to UCI. Below, please describe each of these events, in chronological order. In addition, please describe how these events are related The authors read through each response to determine that participants provided an appropriate response. Participants that did not provide a response of at least 50 words were not considered. This process resulted in a final sample of 273 UCI students (Mage = 20.48, SD = 3.94; 193 female). Six students identified as Black/African American, 63 as Chicano/Mexican American, 43 as Chinese/Chinese American, 8 as East Indian/Pakistani, 23 as Filipino/Filipino-American, 8 as Japanese/Japanese American, 10 as Korean, 15 as Latino/Other Spanish-American, 1 as Polynesian, 8 as Thai/Other Asian, 33 as Vietnamese, and 50 as White/Caucasian. Analysis Plan We will compute a series of Pearson Bivariate correlations to determine whether there are positive relations between Agency and Communion and indicators of psychological health (positive emotions, self-esteem, and meaning in life).

Research Questions Past work indicates that Asian college students may be more likely to accept an identity conferred by Asian parents and family (i.e., identity foreclosure; Ying & Lee, 1999). Indeed, Lian, Liu, Nguyen, and Song (2017) assert that Asian students may foreclose on certain career options and limit how they engage in relationships and campus activities to avoid displeasing one’s parents and live up to parents’ sacrifices and expectations. Likewise, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender Asians may delay or foreclose their sexual identity development to allow family to save face and avoid losing support within their community (Lian et al., 2017). This aligns with the notion that Asian individuals may experience guilt or shame at not honoring one’s family and enacting parents’ wishes and dreams (i.e., filial piety; Schwartz et al., 2010). For these reasons, we predicted that the theme of foreclosure would be higher among Asian students. Filial piety is a form of communion that researchers most often associate with Asian group members (Schwartz et al., 2010). However, communion is also considered relevant among Latinx participants. For example, Schwartz and colleagues (2010) found that Latinx college students reported greater familialism, or obligation to one’s family. These findings suggest that communal concerns may be expressed more commonly among Asian and Latinx students. Thus, we predicted that the theme of communion would be higher among Asian and Latinx participants in comparison to White participants. We will investigate the following research questions: (1) Is the theme of foreclosure in college students’ stories about how they were admitted to University is higher among Asian students in comparison to Latinx and White students? (2) Is communion higher among Asian and Latinx students in comparison to White participants? Hypotheses: (1) The theme of foreclosure will be higher among Asian American students in comparison to Latinx, and White students. (2) The theme of communion will be higher among Asian American and Latinx students in comparison to White participants. Covariates: We will determine whether mean differences in narrative themes exist after controlling for the length of the narrative as well as participants’ age and gender. Sampling Plan We will use existing data collected at the University of California Irvine (UCI) to investigate our hypotheses. 964 UCI students participated in an online survey exploring “how your experiences as a student shape your well-being”. In this survey, students were prompted to respond to the following prompt: Admission to the University of California Irvine is highly competitive, and many people that apply are ultimately turned away. In this study, we are interested in events and factors that, you believe, led to your admission to UCI. Below, please describe each of these events, in chronological order. In addition, please describe how these events are related The authors read through each response to determine that participants provided an appropriate response. Participants that did not provide a response of at least 50 words were not considered. This process resulted in a final sample of 273 UCI students (Mage = 20.48, SD = 3.94; 193 female). Six students identified as Black/African American, 63 as Chicano/Mexican American, 43 as Chinese/Chinese American, 8 as East Indian/Pakistani, 23 as Filipino/Filipino-American, 8 as Japanese/Japanese American, 10 as Korean, 15 as Latino/Other Spanish-American, 1 as Polynesian, 8 as Thai/Other Asian, 33 as Vietnamese, and 50 as White/Caucasian. To allow for mean comparisons across ethnic-racial groups, we will combine the Chicano/Mexican American and Latino/Other Spanish-American participants into a group of 78 Latinx participants. We will also combine Chinese/Chinese American, East Indian/Pakistani, Filipino/Filipino-American, Japanese/Japanese-American, Korean, Thai/Other Asian, and Vietnamese individuals into one group of 110 Asian participants. We will compare across Asian, Latinx, and White participants due to the constraints of our sample size. Analysis Plan Foreclosure was coded on a 3-point scale where 0 = no foreclosure and 2 = high foreclosure. Communion was coded on a 5-point scale where higher values indicated greater emphasis placed on how social connections and other people were integral to one’s acceptance to University. We will use the output from a categorical regression to determine whether mean differences in foreclosure exist based on ethnicity/race. Specifically, we will determine whether mean levels of (1) foreclosure are higher among Asian participants in comparison to Latinx and White participants and (2) communion are higher among Asian and Latinx participants is higher in comparison to White participants.

Research Questions Past work indicates that lower class individuals prefer contextual over dispositional explanations of social events (Kraus, Piff, & Keltner, 2009). This may be because lower class individuals report feeling that they have fewer resources and are of subordinate rank in comparison to others. In other words, those with lower class individuals may feel that they have less control, which may lead them to adopt contextual versus dispositional explanations for events. Indeed, Kraus and colleagues (2009) found that personal control mediated the relation between lower social class and contextual explanations. In the present work, we coded for two themes that map loosely onto dispositional and contextual explanations. Agency and Communion. Agency was coded on a 5-point scale where higher values indicated greater emphasis on self-mastery, independence, and personal control over one’s University acceptance. Communion was coded on a 5-point scale where higher values indicated greater emphasis placed on how social connections and other people were integral to one’s acceptance to University. We will assess relations between Agency and Communion and three indices of social class: The MacArthur SES ladder (Adler, Epel, Castellazzo, & Ickovics, 2000), parental education, and the Social Class Identity Measure (Dietze & Knowles, 2016). We will investigate the following research questions: (1) Are Communion and Agency related with measures of social class? Hypotheses: (1) Agency will be positively related with measures of social class. (2) Perceived control will mediate the positive relation between Agency and social class. (3) Communion will be negatively related with measures of social class. (4) Perceived control will mediate the positive relation between Communion and social class. Covariates: We will test relations both with and without controlling for the effect of narrative length, gender, age, and ethnicity/race. Sampling Plan We will use existing data collected at the University of California Irvine (UCI) to investigate our hypotheses. 964 UCI students participated in an online survey exploring “how your experiences as a student shape your well-being”. In this survey, students were prompted to respond to the following prompt: Admission to the University of California Irvine is highly competitive, and many people that apply are ultimately turned away. In this study, we are interested in events and factors that, you believe, led to your admission to UCI. Below, please describe each of these events, in chronological order. In addition, please describe how these events are related The authors read through each response to determine that participants provided an appropriate response. Participants that did not provide a response of at least 50 words were not considered. This process resulted in a final sample of 273 UCI students (Mage = 20.48, SD = 3.94; 193 female). Six students identified as Black/African American, 63 as Chicano/Mexican American, 43 as Chinese/Chinese American, 8 as East Indian/Pakistani, 23 as Filipino/Filipino-American, 8 as Japanese/Japanese American, 10 as Korean, 15 as Latino/Other Spanish-American, 1 as Polynesian, 8 as Thai/Other Asian, 33 as Vietnamese, and 50 as White/Caucasian. Analysis Plan First, we will compute Pearson Bivariate correlations between Agency, Communion, MacArther SES ladder, parental education, the Social Class Identity measure, and personal sense of control. Second, we will conduct mediational analyses with sense of control as a mediator of the relation between each measure of social class and Agency/Communion.