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Abstract
The purpose of the present paper is to present a new conceptualisation on passion for activities, the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) and an overview of related research. Passion is defined as a strong inclination toward an activity that people like, find important, and in which they invest time and energy. This model further posits the existence of two types of passion each associated with different outcomes and experiences. Harmonious passion originates from an autonomous internalisation of the activity in identity and leads people to choose to engage in the activity that they love. It is expected to mainly lead to more adaptive outcomes. Conversely, obsessive passion originates from a controlled internalisation in identity and leads people to experience an uncontrollable urge to engage in the activity. It is hypothesised to predict less adaptive outcomes. Results of several studies conducted with a variety of participants, activities, and outcomes provide support for the model. The development of passion was also addressed. These studies clearly support the significant role of passion in people's lives.
One of the high points of my year as President of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) has been the opportunity to interact with a great group of fun, competent, and highly committed people toward the cause of Canadian psychology. On numerous occasions, I have seen CPA board members serving on a variety of committees and for long hours. In light of such important involvement in an activity like Canadian psychology, one is left wondering about the psychological factors that enable people to display such a high level of commitment and to remain dedicated and passionate for a specific activity or cause for years, and sometimes a lifetime. We propose that the concept of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) represents such a psychological factor. Furthermore, as we will see, the type of passion one has for the activity may have different consequences on cognition, affect, behaviour, relationships, and even performance.
On the Psychology of Passion
A Dualistic Model of Passion
When we started our initial research in the late 1990s, very little existed on passion from a psychological standpoint. While passion had generated a lot of attention from philosophers (see Rony, 1990, for a review), it received little empirical...