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RESEARCH PRODUCT

When it’s “All about the bike”—Intrapersonal conflict in light of passion for cycling and exercise dependence.

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A strong inclination to engage in a sport activity may provoke intrapersonal conflict. Yet, few studies have explicitly investigated such activity-related conflict in light of self-regulation of activity engagement. In the present research, we explored intrapersonal conflict measured as discrepant self-guides in relation to obsessive passion, harmonious passion, and exercise dependence. Two separate surveys were conducted including leisure time endurance off-road cyclists, with a total of 990 participants. In Study 1, discrepancies with respect to the participants’ actual and ideal involvement in the activity, as well as their perception of acceptance from significant others, were related to obsessive passion. Such discrepancies were unrelated to harmonious passion. In Study 2, intrapersonal conflict was moderately related to exercise dependence, whereas exercise dependence was strongly related to obsessive passion. Moreover, structural equation analyses supported a mediational role of exercise dependence on the effect from obsessive passion toward intrapersonal conflict. In sum, we believe that the present research adds new knowledge to the self-regulatory dynamics related to intrapersonal conflict in activity engagements.