Autonomous motivation promotes goal attainment through the conscious investment of effort, but mental contrasting with implementation intentions makes goal striving easier

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21355151
AutoresHugh Riddell (0000-0001-8218-7822, Curtin University, autor correspondente), Wesley Lamont (Curtin University), Merrill Lombard (0000-0001-9926-0408, Curtin University), Sarah Paduano (University of Southern Denmark), Silvio Maltagliati (0000-0001-7199-0599, University of Grenoble Alpes), Daniel F Gucciardi (0000-0001-5448-3990, Curtin University), Nikos Ntoumanis (0000-0001-7122-3795, Curtin University)
Ano2024
Volume164
Fascículo2
Páginas230-243
Data de publicação2024-03-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Journal of Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0022-4545 • E-ISSN: 1940-1183
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00224545.2022.2163610
PMID36587628
OpenAlexW4313424317
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas54

People with autonomous motives (e.g., personal importance) may use automated strategies to effortlessly sustain goal-directed behavior and overcome obstacles. We investigated whether conscious effort, ease of goal striving, physiological effort, and the number of obstacles encountered mediate relations between motives and goal attainment for a competitive cycling goal. Additionally, half the participants (n = 57) were trained in Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) – a technique that facilitates development of goal-directed behavior – with remaining participants (n = 54) treated as controls. Conscious investment of effort mediated relations between autonomous motives and goal attainment. Subjective ease of goal striving and physiological effort did not. This result indicates that successful goal striving is not perceived as effortless for autonomously motivated individuals working on competitive goals. Conversely, MCII predicted a reduction in obstacles, which in turn was associated with easier goal striving but not goal attainment. Although MCII did not support goal attainment in the current study, its ability to minimize the influence of obstacles may still be useful for other types of goals or for sustaining long-term goal pursuit

Business · Cognitive psychology · Goal Orientation · Goal pursuit · Goal setting · Goal theory · Investment (military) · Political science · Process management · Applied Psychology · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology