Lecture 5: Goal Disengagement Flashcards
The goal action sequence
selection -> engagement -> disengagement
what is the best way to achieve your goals?
through an implementation plans
is directive support in goal pursuit helpful?
Directive support from others in goal pursuit is usually not helpful or hurtful
when is directive goal support not helpful?
In the cases of parents-university student relationships and heterosexual couples where the female partner has a weight-loss goal
unattainable goals
desired goals that we cannot make further progress toward
prevalence of unattainable goals
Surveys indicate at least one important unattainable goal each year
Carsten Wrosch on unattainable goals
The notion that persistence is essentially for success and happiness is deeply embedded in popular and scientific writings. However, when people are faced with situations in which they cannot realize a key life goal, the most adaptive response for mental and physical health may be to disengage from that goal
the Wrosch goal adjustment model
- goal pursuit -> difficulty with goal attainment -> opportunities for success?
- if the opportunities for success are poor, one disengages and engages in other goals
- if the opportunities for success are good, one continues to put effort into achieving the goal
what characterizes goal disengagement?
- Reduction of effort
- Withdrawal of commitment
what characterizes goal re-engagement?
- Identification of goals
- Commitment to goals
- Pursuit of goals
what does goal disengagement lead to?
prevents accumulated failure experience
what does goal re-engagement lead to?
creates purpose in life
distribution of goal engagement and re-engagement
normal distribution
what items characterize a reduction of effort?
- It’s easy for me to reduce my effort towards the goal
- I find it difficult to stop trying to achieve the goal (reverse item)
what items characterize a withdrawal of commitment?
- I stay connected to the goal for a long time, I can’t let it go (reverse item)
- It’s easy for me to stop thinking about the goal and let it go
what items characterize identification of goals?
- I think about other new goals to pursue
- I seek out meaningful goals
what items characterize commitment to goals?
- I convince myself that I have other meaningful goals to pursue
- I tell myself that I have several other new goals to draw upon
what items characterize the pursuit of goals?
- I start working on other new goals
- I put effort towards other meaningful goals
Worsch et al. 2007 negative affect and goal disengagement study
- Found that disengaging from your goals over time is associated with decreased negative affect and depressive symptoms
- The failure led to high levels of negative affect and criticism
- As you disengage, mood improves
Worsch et al. 2007 physical health and goal disengagement study
- Found that health improves as you disengage with a goal
- If you’re unable to disengage, health problems worsen
outcomes of goal disengagement
Goal disengagement -> reduces negative aspects of well-being, such as negative affect and depressive symptoms -> improves biological and physical health
outcomes of goal re-engagement
Goal reengagement -> increases positive aspects of well-being, including purpose in life and positive affect
unrequited love
romantic, passionate love that is felt by one person toward another person who feels substantially less attraction toward the lover
unrequited love in college students study method
- College students were asked to provide detailed narrative accounts of a powerful experience of unrequited love
- Each person was also asked to recall a case in which they were the would-be lover and one in which they were the rejecter
unrequited love in college students study findings
- Found that 95% of students could recall a powerful experience of unrequited love
- 50% could recall being both the pursuer and the pursued
what are the three main reasons that unrequited love happens?
- falling upward
- intrusion of romantic feelings into a platonic friendship
- a transition from casual dating to serious, possibly exclusive romance
falling upward
becoming romantically attracted to someone who is at a higher level of attractiveness
what is the most common way unrequited love happens?
falling upward
who usually falls for who in situations of unrequited love?
The less attractive person usually falls for the more attractive person
what does research suggest about the attractiveness of couples?
Research suggests that we’ll end up with someone pretty close to us in attractiveness
how do most people rate their attractiveness?
Most of us overrate our attractiveness
Baumeister’s analysis of sex and unrequited love
sexual involvement is not a good way to discourage romantic love
how do we experience unrequited love?
There are discrepancies between would-be lovers and rejecter’s accounts and emotions
unrequited love from the perspective of the pursuee
- The pursee felt worse about situations of unrequited love
- They felt awkward and saw it as a no-win situation
- The pursuee engages in perspective-taking
unrequited love from the perspective of the pursuer
- The pursuers had bittersweet feelings about it
- They saw it as a high-stakes gamble
- The pursuer doesn’t engage in perspective-taking
- They can be a bit delusional
how is unrequited love learned?
vicariously because the unrequited lover who persists is often rewarded in the media
scripts of unrequited love in the media
Everyone knows how to be an unrequited lover but there is no script for delivering rejection
Baumeister on how we should reject people
We should make an internal, stable attribution when rejecting someone
criticisms of Baumeister’s rejection hypothesis
this is not normative and overly harsh
what is the best thing to do when you’re the pursuer of unrequited love?
to disengage
athletes and goal disengagement study questions
- Is the decision to disengage autonomous or controlled?
- What impact does failure to disengage have on your need satisfaction in your life?
athletes and goal disengagement study findings
- When athletes retire because they disengaged from their goals in a controlled manner, they are more likely to experience depression post-retirement
- When athletes retire because they disengaged from their goals autonomously, they are less likely to experience depression post-retirement
what is a driving factor in early attraction?
physical attractiveness
what kind of goal is love?
interdependent; both parties have to have the same goal
can you change romantic feelings?
not easily; there are some examples, but it’s rare
