Work motivation and affect regulation capabilities in a group of italian military finance students|Motivazione al lavoro e capacità di regolazione affettiva in un gruppo di allievi finanzieri italiani

Motivation in the workplace has been a central topic in regard to both theoretical and organisational issues. The aim of this study was to examine the association between affect regulation capabilities levels and different motivational dimensions according to the self-determination theory in military students. Following questionnaires were administered to 198 Italian military finance students (183 male): a sociodemographic questionnaire, the 20-itemToronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS). Data analysis showed that the high affect regulation capabilities group scored significantly higher in autonomous motivation compared to the intermediate and low affect capabilities groups and significantly lower in external motivation. Meanwhile, the low affect regulation capabilities group scored significant higher in amotivation compared to the intermediate and high affect regulation capabilities groups. The results confirmed the association between abilities in emotional regulation and motivational dimension scores. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results, which could orientate the selection and training of future military students