个人如何对国家概念进行认知心理表征？对于国家目标状态与现实状态的的心理表征，将会如何影响个体心理与行为？本研究提出国家概念二元差异理论，假设个体采用不同的导向方式（理想 vs. 应该）认知国家的目标与现实状态，会对情绪、集体自尊、主观幸福感和行为产生影响。这一理论采用动态建构视角研究文化社会现象，为理解个体和群体的动力性心理机制提供了新的路径。 本研究基于自我差异理论，提出国家概念的二元差异理论。将自我差异理论的研究主体由“自我”拓展到“国家”。国家概念表征的两种导向类型（理想导向包括对国家的期待、理想和终极目标，应该导向包括对国家的基本要求、责任与义务）。当两种国家导向与感知到的国家现实状态之间具有不一致时，会形成理想-现实国家差异与应该-现实国家差异。两种国家概念的差异化心理表征可以被相关情境线索启动，并通过不同情绪的中介作用影响集体自尊水平。国家概念二元差异心理机制模型结果表明：减少理想-现实国家差异能够通过积极情绪提升集体自尊，提高主观幸福感；而减少应该-现实国家差异能够通过降低消极情绪提升集体自尊，降低移民行为倾向。 结合内容分析、路径回归等多种方法，本研究考察国家概念心理表征的特点，逐步建构国家概念二元差异理论，并进行了理论的跨情境一致性与文化普适性验证。研究一通过内容分析，考察人们对国家概念的心理表征特点，理想与应该导向的国家概念内容具有各自的特点，并且与国家的现实状态具有内容差异。研究二采用元分析，考察国家概念差异化表征与情绪之间的关系，证明自我差异理论研究范式在集体层面拓展的有效性。研究三通过启动两种类型国家差异，考察了国家差异与集体自尊之间的关系及其作用机制，证明理想-现实与应该-现实国家差异心理表征都会影响集体自尊，积极情绪和消极情绪分别在其中起到中介作用。此外，集体自尊在国家差异对个体自尊的影响中起中介作用。研究四构建了国家概念二元差异心理机制的路径分析模型。考察理想-现实国家差异与应该-现实国家差异对于主观幸福感、移民行为倾向的预测作用。研究五考察海外留学生的国家概念二元差异，证明这一心理结构的跨情境一致性，并探索了国家差异的形成与文化依恋的关系。研究六选取美国样本进行理论的跨文化验证，美国被试同样具有相对稳定的国家概念二元差异心理结构，对幸福感和行为决策具有预测作用。通过跨文化样本比较发现，国家差异心理表征与情绪之间的关系和作用机制具有文化差异，美国被试更容易受到低动机情绪的影响。 这一全新理论连接了人格心理学的自我差异理论、社会心理学的社会认同理论，以及文化心理学的动态建构模型。研究开辟了全新的角度，来解释文化社会对个体心理与行为的影响，有助于理解社会发展的动力机制，并为提升幸福感、减少优秀人才流失现象提供建议。

Self-discrepancy theory has revealed affective and behavioral consequences when individuals are aware that their actual self is falling short of the ideal self or ought self. These processes can be extended to collective domain on nation discrepancies. “Chinese dream” has been propaganda as a world-famous national strategy which emphasis people have demands (oughts) and hopes (ideals) for the nation, makes it appropriate to test our new theory of Nation-discrepancy in the Chinese context. Similar to self-discrepancies, nation discrepancies emerge when the perceived “actuals” of the country do not meet the expectations for the country with regard to two standards: Ideals and oughts. Ideal-nation discrepancy (IND) refers to the shortfalls of the nation’s perceived reality from an individual's hopes, wishes, or aspirations for the nation; Ought-nation discrepancy (OND) refers to the shortfalls of the nation’s perceived reality from an individual's beliefs about the nation's duties, responsibilities, or obligations. Specifically, the motivation to attain an ideal-state is fueled by approach of positive outcomes, whereas the motivation to meet an ought-state is fueled by avoidance of negative outcomes. Applying this to nation-discrepancies, we predict that Participants who face the IND would experience emotions related to the inspired-dejected dimension, in particular experiencing lack of inspired emotions. Whereas those who face the OND would experience emotions related to the calm-agitated dimension, in particular experiencing strong agitated emotions. The differential emotional experiences resulting from the two kinds of nation-discrepancies should further shape individuals’ regards for the nation, and thus their collective self-esteem toward the nation. Therefore, we predict that priming IND would reduce participants’ inspired emotions, which in turn result in lower collective self-esteem. By contrast, priming OND would increase participants’ agitated emotions, which in turn result in lower collective self-esteem. Nationalism pertains to the perceived superiority of one’s nation above other nations, that would buffer anger and cynicism toward one’s own nation. Therefore, we predict that the ought-actual mediational effect hypothesized would be stronger among individuals who are low in nationalism. On the other hand, Internationalism pertains to outward looking of one’s nation and take the global perspective, that would make people inspired by other nations. OND is a result of the distance from the desirable end-states that uniquely associated with subjective well-being as self domain. We predict that only IND predicts subjective well-being, rather than OND. OND refers to unsuccessful of avoiding the undesired-end-state, which in turn related to avoidance of one’s nation and reflected in intention of emigration. Leaving one’s homeland is an unpleasant result which most of people would prevent this consequence. We predict that only OND predicts participants’ emigrant intention, while IND cannot. Taken as a whole, the findings support our newly proposed nation-discrepancy theory. It can help us to understand why national strategy is important for individual, including affection, cognition and behavior.