Closure, Need for

[Page 112]Consider a candidate who suddenly drops out of a presidential race. If you are an expert in U.S. politics, you are probably quite capable of explaining why this might be the case (poor party support, potential scandal in the making if elected, will be named vice president, etc.). While being capable of providing explanations as to why a candidate dropped out of the race is one thing, it is quite another to have an interest in doing so. While a certain amount of motivation may be needed to generate hypotheses (or reasons) as to why a candidate suddenly dropped out of a presidential race, it is also important to distinguish between two dimensions that can explain an individual’s motivation for such an action. The ...