Cross-Cultural Analysis of Implicit Motives in TAT Written Narratives: A Motive Disposition Theory and LIWC-22 Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.12057Keywords:
Implicit motives, EFL narratives, LIWC-22, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Cross-cultural, Motive Disposition Theory (MDT)Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to identify cross-cultural differences in narrative construction among Hungarian and Jordanian bilingual university students within an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context.
Methods: A total of 100 participants (50 Hungarians and 50 Jordanians), all Bachelor’s students majoring in English-related fields (aged 18–25), wrote narratives in English in response to four Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) picture cards. The narratives were analyzed quantitatively with a focus on the motivational drivers of achievement, power, and affiliation. Motive Disposition Theory (MDT), the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count tool (LIWC-22), and statistical tests (Descriptive, MANOVA, and ANOVA) in SPSS were used to assess motivational and linguistic-psychological differences.
Results: The study results showed that affiliation motives were significantly different between the Jordanian and Hungarian participants with a small statistical difference observed. Achievement motives showed minimal cultural variation, and power motives revealed no differences between the two groups. A card-by-card analysis highlighted that themes involving family and gender roles were the most culturally differentiated, especially in narratives related to mother-child dynamics. Picture cards with emotionally charged scenarios involving personal struggles elicited more universally shared responses.
Conclusions: In sum, this research underscores the profound impact of cultural background on narrative construction, offering implications for cross-cultural psychology, applied linguistics methodologies, and bilingual education practices.
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