Lecture 5: Goal Disengagement

Question 1

The goal action sequence

Answer 1

selection -> engagement -> disengagement

Question 2

what is the best way to achieve your goals?

Answer 2

through an implementation plans

Question 3

is directive support in goal pursuit helpful?

Answer 3

Directive support from others in goal pursuit is usually not helpful or hurtful

Question 4

when is directive goal support not helpful?

Answer 4

In the cases of parents-university student relationships and heterosexual couples where the female partner has a weight-loss goal

Question 5

unattainable goals

Answer 5

desired goals that we cannot make further progress toward

Question 6

prevalence of unattainable goals

Answer 6

Surveys indicate at least one important unattainable goal each year

Question 7

Carsten Wrosch on unattainable goals

Answer 7

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

Question 8

the Wrosch goal adjustment model

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

what characterizes goal disengagement?

Answer 9

• Reduction of effort
• Withdrawal of commitment

Question 10

what characterizes goal re-engagement?

Answer 10

• Identification of goals
• Commitment to goals
• Pursuit of goals

Question 11

what does goal disengagement lead to?

Answer 11

prevents accumulated failure experience

Question 12

what does goal re-engagement lead to?

Answer 12

creates purpose in life

Question 13

distribution of goal engagement and re-engagement

Answer 13

normal distribution

Question 14

what items characterize a reduction of effort?

Answer 14

• 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)

Question 15

what items characterize a withdrawal of commitment?

Answer 15

• 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

Question 16

what items characterize identification of goals?

Answer 16

• I think about other new goals to pursue
• I seek out meaningful goals

Question 17

what items characterize commitment to goals?

Answer 17

• I convince myself that I have other meaningful goals to pursue
• I tell myself that I have several other new goals to draw upon

Question 18

what items characterize the pursuit of goals?

Answer 18

• I start working on other new goals
• I put effort towards other meaningful goals

Question 19

Worsch et al. 2007 negative affect and goal disengagement study

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Worsch et al. 2007 physical health and goal disengagement study

Answer 20

• Found that health improves as you disengage with a goal
• If you’re unable to disengage, health problems worsen

Question 21

outcomes of goal disengagement

Answer 21

Goal disengagement -> reduces negative aspects of well-being, such as negative affect and depressive symptoms -> improves biological and physical health

Question 22

outcomes of goal re-engagement

Answer 22

Goal reengagement -> increases positive aspects of well-being, including purpose in life and positive affect

Question 23

unrequited love

Answer 23

romantic, passionate love that is felt by one person toward another person who feels substantially less attraction toward the lover

Question 24

unrequited love in college students study method

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

unrequited love in college students study findings

Answer 25

• Found that 95% of students could recall a powerful experience of unrequited love
• 50% could recall being both the pursuer and the pursued

Question 26

what are the three main reasons that unrequited love happens?

Answer 26

• falling upward
• intrusion of romantic feelings into a platonic friendship
• a transition from casual dating to serious, possibly exclusive romance

Question 27

falling upward

Answer 27

becoming romantically attracted to someone who is at a higher level of attractiveness

Question 28

what is the most common way unrequited love happens?

Answer 28

falling upward

Question 29

who usually falls for who in situations of unrequited love?

Answer 29

The less attractive person usually falls for the more attractive person

Question 30

what does research suggest about the attractiveness of couples?

Answer 30

Research suggests that we’ll end up with someone pretty close to us in attractiveness

Question 31

how do most people rate their attractiveness?

Answer 31

Most of us overrate our attractiveness

Question 32

Baumeister’s analysis of sex and unrequited love

Answer 32

sexual involvement is not a good way to discourage romantic love

Question 33

how do we experience unrequited love?

Answer 33

There are discrepancies between would-be lovers and rejecter’s accounts and emotions

Question 34

unrequited love from the perspective of the pursuee

Answer 34

• 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

Question 35

unrequited love from the perspective of the pursuer

Answer 35

• 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

Question 36

how is unrequited love learned?

Answer 36

vicariously because the unrequited lover who persists is often rewarded in the media

Question 37

scripts of unrequited love in the media

Answer 37

Everyone knows how to be an unrequited lover but there is no script for delivering rejection

Question 38

Baumeister on how we should reject people

Answer 38

We should make an internal, stable attribution when rejecting someone

Question 39

criticisms of Baumeister’s rejection hypothesis

Answer 39

this is not normative and overly harsh

Question 40

what is the best thing to do when you’re the pursuer of unrequited love?

Answer 40

to disengage

Question 41

athletes and goal disengagement study questions

Answer 41

• Is the decision to disengage autonomous or controlled?
• What impact does failure to disengage have on your need satisfaction in your life?

Question 42

athletes and goal disengagement study findings

Answer 42

• 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

Question 43

what is a driving factor in early attraction?

Answer 43

physical attractiveness

Question 44

what kind of goal is love?

Answer 44

interdependent; both parties have to have the same goal

Question 45

can you change romantic feelings?

Answer 45

not easily; there are some examples, but it’s rare