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Relational mechanisms in the goal pursuit process
Author(s) -
GORE JONATHAN S.,
HESTER RAVEN,
SPEGAL LAUREN,
KAVANAUGH KIMBERLEY,
NAKAI YOSHIE
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
personal relationships
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.81
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1475-6811
pISSN - 1350-4126
DOI - 10.1111/pere.12233
Subject(s) - psychology , goal pursuit , feeling , association (psychology) , goal setting , social psychology , goal orientation , developmental psychology , psychotherapist
Four studies tested a model for goal pursuit, which proposed three relational mechanisms that yield motives for a goal. These motives, in turn, predict goal outcomes, but the association was expected to be stronger among women than among men. Study 1 ( n = 116) tested the model for a short‐term, collaborative project between strangers; Study 2 ( n = 186) examined parents being motivated by their children to be healthier; Study 3 ( n = 124) examined nontraditional college students' career searches; and Study 4 ( n = 181) examined young adults' progress toward a self‐improvement goal. Results showed support for the model in all four studies, with the exception that feeling accountable to others was not a consistent predictor of relational motives.