Human Motivation Chapter 8 Goal Setting
Four factors determine whether an externally set goal will be accepted or rejected
1) Perceived difficulty of the imposed goal 2) participation in the goal setting process 3) credibility of the person assigning the goal. Likability, credibility, well being is considered, vs controlling, manipulating and authoritarian 4) Extrinsic incentives: goal acceptance is highest when goals are perceived to be easy or moderately difficult. Rewards you give yourself. It is important to set small goals with rewards.
Two types of discrepancy
1) discrepancy reduction: discrepancy-detecting feedback. Getting feedback from a boss from a plan 2) discrepancy creation: feed forward system. The discrepancy provides the motivational basis for you to act. This keeps you going. Leads to a goal, a new goal built on new goals to move forward. The discrepancy provides the motivation basis for you to act. Again discrepancy reduction corresponds to a plan based action plan. Discrepancy creation corresponds to a goal setting plan.
Goal setting is associated with 3 pitfalls
1) stress 2) opportunities for failure 3) putting creativity and intrinsic motivation st risk The logic behind goal setting is to increase performance demands so the performer's effort, persistence, attention and strategic planning improve from lackluster to more engaged. Sometimes; however, overly challenging goals ask performer's effort, persistence, attention and strategic planning improve from lackluster to more engaged. Sometimes overly challenging goals ask performers to perform at a level that exceeds their capabilities and produce stress. Difficult goals also create an explicit objective performance standard and therefore open the door to the possibility of failure. Failures feedback yields distressing consequences that are emotional (e.g. Feelings of inadequacy), social (eg loss of respect) and tangible (eg financial). The third pitfall is that goals are sometimes administered in ways that are controlling, pressure-inducing, and intrusive and thus can undermine creativity and intrinsic motivation by interfering with one's autonomy, cognitive flexibility, and personal passion for work.
Goal setting
A goal is whatever an individual is striving to accomplish. Like plans, goals generate motivation by focusing people's attention on the discrepancy (or incongruity) between their present level of accomplishment (no boxes of cookies sold) and their ideal level of accomplishment (100 boxes sold by the other end of the month). Researchers refer to this discrepancy between present level of accomplishment and ideal level of accomplishment as a "goal-performance discrepancy".
Discrepancy
A synonym for incongruity shows the mismatch between one's present state and one's ideal state. When the present state falls short of the hoped for state, a discrepancy is exposed. It is the discrepancy rather than the ideal state that has motivational properties. Discrepancy create the sense of wanting to change the present state so that it will move closer and closer toward the ideal state. The awareness of the mismatch creates a want that motivates people to take action necessary to remove the rather bothersome discrepancy. The awareness of the mismatch between "that which presently is" and "that which is desired" creates a sense of discrepancy or incongruity that produces motivational consequences. Therefore, when people ask themselves, "What can I do to increase motivation?" Those who study discrepancy-based motivation have a very practical answer: create an ideal state of mind in your mind. Create a present state-ideal state discrepancy.
Corrective motivation
Adjustable plans: corrective motivation activates a decision making process in where the person considers many ways for reducing the present ideal incongruity. You never pigeon-hold. There is always more choices and start again. Corrective motivation involves emotion. If you get to a goal faster you feel hope and happy. If you are behind, you feel frustrated. Therefore, you can adjust your goals. Your emotions affect you. Your present versus ideal.
Mismatch between an ideal state and present state
Any mismatch perceived between one's present state and one's ideal state instigates an experience of incongruity, which has motivational properties. Suffering incongruity, people formulate a plan to remove that incongruity. People have knowledge of both their present and ideal states and any perceived incongruity between the two makes people uncomfortable enough to formulate and act out on a plan of action to remove the incongruity so that the present state will change and become the ideal state. The incongruity acts as the motivational spring to action (provides energy) and the plan becomes the means of organization Our behavior toward the pursuit of the ideal state (provides direction).
Goal difficulty
As goals increase in difficulty, performance increase in a linear fashion. The more difficult the goal, the more it energizes the performer. This is so because people exert effort in proportion to what the goal requires of them. That is, easy goals stimulate little effort, medium goals stimulate moderate effort, and difficult goals stimulate high effort. Effort responds to the magnitude of goal difficulty, which is to say that effort responds to the magnitude of the goal performance discrepancy.
Discrepancy reduction
Based on discrepancy reduction, which is based on the discrepancy detecting feedback that underlies plans and corrective motivation. Asks are you currently performing at the desired level (e.g. GPA)?
Discrepancy creation
Based on feed-forward system in which the person looks forward and proactively sets a future, higher goal. The person deliberately sets a higher goal, an ideal state that does not yet exist except in the performer's mind and does not require feedback from a boss to impose it. Discrepancy reduction and creation, it is the discrepancy or incongruity that provides the motivational basis for action. But two important distinctions between discrepancy reduction and creation exist: 1) reduction corresponds to plan-based corrective motivation whereas creation corresponds to goal-setting motivation. Reduction is reactive, deficiency overcoming and revolves around a feedback system, whereas creation is proactive, growth pursuing and revolves around a feed forward system. Goal setting is first and foremost a discrepancy creating process.
Self Regulation
Cognitive events allow people to translate their thoughts into actions. Metacognitive motivation is thinking about thinking. Self regulation is an ongoing, cyclical process. Developing more competent self regulation occurs within a social learning process and at an observational level. If the person is unable to regulate their behavior and unable to set goals, then gains in self regulation occur from observing an expert. Observation then leads to imitation. Finally the person is able to competently regulate their behavior on their own and monitor their performance on their own. People can acquire, develop and master complex skills more quickly and more expertly if they have the benefit of a mentor who model how to set goals, develop strategies, formulate implementation intentions, monitor performance and evaluate how the on-going goal performance feedback process. Spread it out, life happens; don't do it every day, give yourself room to push it forward.
Discrepancy
Creates the sense of wanting to change the present state so that you are closer to the ideal state. What can I do to increase motivation? It is a core motivational construct. It creates the sense of wanting to change the present state so that you are closer to the ideal state. It too big of a discrepancy, it can hurt motivation.
Goal acceptance*
Critical variable when goal setting takes place within the context of an interpersonal relationship in which one person attempts to provide another person with a goal. Only internalized (e.g. Accepted) goals improve performance. They do so because goal acceptance breeds goal commitment. If the person rejects an externally imposed goal, the goal setting process does not proceed as diagrammed and in fact a negative relationship often exists between the externally imposed and rejected goal and the person's ensuing performance. Four factors determine whether an externally set goal will be accepted or rejected: 1) Perceived difficulty of the imposed goal 2) participation in the goal-setting process 3) credibility of the person assigning the goal 4) extrinsic incentives As to the perceived difficulty of the imposed goal, goal acceptance is inversely related to goal difficulty. As to the perceived difficult of the imposed goal, goal acceptance is inversely related to goal difficulty. Difficult goals breed goal rejection. People evaluate the likelihood of attaining the goal before accepting it. The second factor affects goal acceptance is the extent to which the performer participates in the goal-setting process. How much input the performer has in the goal-setting process. If the performer sets the goal himself, it is readily accepted.*. With an externally imposed goal, an interpersonal negotiation process needs to ensue in which the performer's goal acceptance is at stake. Performers reject goals that others try to force on them. But they accept assigned goals when others listen carefully to their point of view and provide a clear rationale for why they think the goal is a good idea.*. Credibility of the person refers to how trustworthy, supportive, knowledgeable and likable the performer perceives this person to be.* A person with little credibility comes across as authoritarian, manipulative and pejorative when assigning goals.*. All other things being equal, performers are more likely to accept and internalize goals assigned to them by credible others who have the performer's well-being in mind. In the world of work, one way workplace leaders increase their credibility to workers is by providing a compelling vision for the future of the company. Overall, goal acceptance is highest when goals are perceived to be easy or only moderately difficult, are self-set (or are at least negotiated to the performer's satisfaction), are assigned by credible and trustworthy others and promise forthcoming personal benefit.
Feedback
Difficult, specific goals enhance performance by energizing effort and persistence and by directing attention and strategy. One additional variable is crucial in making goal setting effective: feedback. Goal setting translates into increased performance only in the context of timely feedback that documents the performer's progress in relation to the goal. Feedback or knowledge of results allows people to keep track of any progress toward their goal. In other words, a performer needs both a goal and feedback to maximize performance. Without feedback, performance can be emotionally unimportant and uninvolving. But feedback is just information. Just as the goal needs feedback to diagnose progress, the reverse is also true that feedback needs a goal (a standard of performance). It is only within the context of a goal that one can utilize feedback information to judge one's performance as poor (below goal), okay (at goal) or excellent (above goal). The combination of goals with feedback produces an emotionally meaningful mixture: goal attainment breeds emotional satisfaction, while goal failure breeds emotional dissatisfaction. Both satisfaction and dissatisfaction have motivational properties. When feedback shows the individual that he is performing at or above goal level, the individual feels satisfied and competent, competent enough perhaps to create a higher, more difficult goal (the discrepancy-creation process). Felt dissatisfaction contributes favorably to the discrepancy-reducing process. When performance feedback shows the individual that he is performing below goal level, the individual feels dissatisfied and becomes keenly aware of the goal-performance discrepancy, enough perhaps to marshal greater effort toward eliminating the goal-performance discrepancy, enough perhaps to marshal greater effort toward eliminating the goal-performance incongruity (the discrepancy-reduction process). Feedback therefore provides the emotional punch that continually bathes the goal-setting process within emotional experiences of felt satisfaction and felt dissatisfaction. People with goals work harder, longer, smarter, and with more focus (i.e. Increased effort, persistence, strategic planning and attention
Mental simulations: focusing on action
Focusing on the goal actually interfered with goal attainment. Focusing one's attention on the goal itself actually backfired as a motivational strategy. Focusing on how to accomplish the goal, however, did facilitate goal attainment.*. This is important because it draws out the distinction between the content of a goal (what one is striving for) and the process of goal striving (the means one uses to attain the goal), and 2) once a goal has been set, it does not inevitably and automatically translate itself into effective performance. Can you see it? Can you feel it?*. Ask someone to imagine having and using an item and that person will become significantly more likely to later actually go out of his way to have and use that item. Mental simulations are not fantasies of success or episodes of wishful thinking. Drawing out the difference between the content of a goal and the process for attaining that goal is an important distinction because visualizing fantasies of success do not produce productive behaviors. *Instead of focusing on outcomes (i.e. On goal content), mental simulations focus on planning and problem solving. This is the sort of mental effort that produces productive goal-directive action.* *Therefore focus on implementation intentions: engage in planning and problem solving not necessarily just on the goal. Focus on goal-striving behavior. People need to mentally stimulate a goal process- the means by which they will accomplish the end they seek.
Goal pursuit: getting started*
Frequent and consistent pairing of particular situations with particular behaviors lead to strong links between the situation and the behavior. Creating an implementation intention for a new behavior in a new situation is essentially this same effect. Implementation intentions set up environment behavior contingencies that lead to automatic, environmental control of behavior: implementation creates habits.*. *Attaining goals require not only effective goal setting but also a precaution period in which one decides when, where, and how that goal will be implemented.
Goal-performance discrepancy
Generally speaking; people with goals outperform those without goals. And generally speaking, the same person performs better when she has a goal than when she does not have a goal. So people who create goals for themselves and people who accept the goals others set for them perform better than those who do not create or accept such goals. Goal setting generally enhances performance but the type of goal one sets is a key determinant in the extent to which a goal translates into performance gains; as goals vary in how difficult they are and in how specific they are.
Criticisms of goal setting*
Goal setting theory developed within the fields of work and bottom-line profit. Goal-setting theory is therefore more about enhancing performance (worker output) than it is about enhancing motivation per se. Hence, the first caution associated with goal setting is that its purpose is to enhance performance , not necessarily motivation. The second caution is that goal setting works best when talks are relatively uninteresting and require only a straightforward procedure. Goals setting aids performance on uninteresting, straightforward tasks by generating motivation that the task itself cannot generate (because it is so boring on its own). On tasks that are inherently interesting and require creativity or problem solving, goal setting does not enhance performance. Goal setting is associated with wotj with 3 pitfalls that limit its utility in applied settings: namely stress, opportunities for failure, and putting creativity and intrinsic motivation at riskassociatedwith 3 pitfalls that limit its utility in applied Goals
Difficult, specific goals enhance performance
Goals do not always enhance performance . Only those goals that are difficult and specific do so. The reason difficult, specific goals increase performance while easy and vague ones do not is a motivational reason. Difficult goals energize the performer, and specific goals direct her toward a particular course of action. Therefore, goals need to be difficult to create energy and goals need to be specific to focus direction. Difficult goals energize behavior, which is to say that they increase the performer's effort and persistence output of effort is directly proportional to the perceived demands of the task. The harder the goal, the greater the effort expended in accomplishing it. Difficult goals increase persistence because effort continues and continues until the goal is reached. Goals also decrease the probability that the performer will be distracted away from the task or will give up prematurely. With a goal in mind, performers quit the task when the goal is accomplished, not when they get bored, frustrated, tires, or distracted. Specific goals direct attention and strategic planning. Specific goals focus the individual's attention toward the task at hand and therefore away from tasks that are incidental. Goals generate motivation, but motivation is only one of the causes underlying performance.
Implementation intentions create
Habits* Goal pursuit: getting started by creating habits Persisting and finishing: implementation intentions facilitate persistence and reengagement during goal pursuit. If you lose an hour, give yourself another hour. Taking the time to plan how, when, where, and for how long you will carry out goal directed behavior improves your change of realizing and finishing the goal. Who and what are your sabotagers.* Ok for things to shift
Goal pursuit: persisting and finishing
Implementation intentions facilitate persistence by helping people anticipate a forthcoming difficulty and therefore form an intention of what they will do once the difficulty comes their way. Such preparatory planning does indeed help people's subsequent persistence and goal attainment. It creates a type of close mindedness that narrows one's field of attention to include goal directed action but to exclude distractions. Without an implementation intention, people are vulnerable to distraction. They help people finish up uncompleted goals. *Whether the problem is getting started or finishing up, taking the time necessary to plan how, when, where and for how long one will carry out goal directed behavior improves the performer's chance of realizing the goal. Of course, setting the goal is a crucial part of the goal performance relationship but the addition of implementation intentions helps close the gap that often exists between setting a goal and actually carrying it out.
Feedback
Important in making goal setting effective A) Knowledge of results allows you to track your progress toward any goal B) Feedback needs a goal or standard of performance so that you can judge yourself as below, at, or above that goal C) Goal attainment: leads to emotional satisfaction whereas goal failure leads to emotional dissatisfaction Therefore share goals, get feedback early and often
Steps in an effective goal setting program
Initial steps: what do you want to accomplish? 1) specify the objective to be accomplished 2) define the goal difficulty given the abilities; experiences, and access to resources 3) clarify goal specificity: get rid of vague goals 4) specify the time span when performance will be assessed Sequential steps 5) check in goal acceptance: goals need to be transformed from an externally imposed goal into a personally endorsed and accepted goal One that has a measure of personal commitment associated with it. 6) discuss goal attainment strategies to advance from goal setting to goal attainment 7) create implementation intentions to articulate the time and place in which the goal directed behavior will take place 8) provide performance feedback: steady stream of feedback that will enable you to continually assess if you are performing at, above or below goal level
Goal proximity
Instead of affecting performance per se, goal proximity affects persistence and intrinsic motivation. As for persistence, many would be doctors and Olympians eventually forfeit their long-term goals because of a lack of positive reinforcement along the way. Because the long-term goal striver receives insufficient opportunities for performance feedback and positive reinforcement, his persistence would benefit from setting a series of short-term goals that chain together to eventually end in the long-term target goal. Short-term goals also provide repeated opportunities for feedback that allows the performer to evaluate performance as being at, above or above goal
Implementation intentions
Mental stimulations is focusing on action. Research shows that focusing on the goal interfered with goal attainment. Visualizing fantasies of success do not produce productive behavior. People need to mentally stimulate a goal process*: how you will implement the goal. Problem with Tony Robbins: "If you think it, it will happen. But there is much more to it such as the behavior needed to make it happen. Need to focus on how to accomplish it, you will achieve it. Ex graduating and having the cap and gown is just one step, but it doesn't help you take the tests and study. Looking at a swimsuit doesn't make you skinny. It should be visualizalizing planning on doing. Salesmen are good at getting people to visualize yours of doing it.
Uninteresting tasks
On uninteresting tasks, short-term goals create opportunities for positive feedback, the experience of making progress and a means of nurturing a sense of competence, all of which enhance intrinsic motivation. On interesting tasks, only long term goals facilitate intrinsic motivation. The the highly interested performer, short term goals are experienced as superfluous, intrusive and controlling. People prefer to pursue long term goals in their own way and this sense of autonomy explains why long term goals can increase intrinsic motivation
Cognitive mental events
Such as goals and expectations can function as a spring to action, a moving force that energizes and directs action in purposive ways The first motivational spring was the plan.
Plans
People have mental representations of the ideal states of their behavior, environmental objects and events People are also aware of the present state of their behavior, environment and events. Incongruity: Any mismatch perceived between one's present state and one's ideal state instigates an experience of incongruity. The cognitive mechanism by which plans energize and direct behavior is the test-operate-test-exit (TOTE) model. The plans we make effect our motivated behavior. Example: going to go out with friends and will have a good time. Test present with ideal, operate with environment and try again, plan and test again. Where you are and where you want to be and make a plan to get started, persist and stop. The plans we make effect our motivated behavior. Getting started, persisting, stopping and also attempting to make long term plans
Formulate implementation intentions
People often fail to act on the goals they set for themselves. Planning to attain a goal is an integral part of the goal performance relationship Volitional problems emerge: problems will happen. Getting started, persisting, resuming: why are we not resuming our goal? Never start a goal on 1/1. Start today or tomorrow. Getting started: have times, but not every day Persisting: give yourself time later Resume: give yourself start and end time. Give yourself another try An implementation intention is the study how goals, once set are effectively acted on. Once an intention is formed, the presence of an anticipated situation cue automatically initiates goal directed behavior by helping you get started and finished. Use Fred forward. Go back to the implementation intention
Personal growth and subjective well being
People often strive for Extrinsic reasons. Personal Strivings that develop personal growth and well being are those that seek greater autonomy, competence or relatedness in one's life. Subjective well being comes from the content of what one is trying to do. When people strive for money or popularity they separate themselves from personal meaning that leads to negative affect, alienation and distress even when you attain what you are striving for but when they are there permanently, this might not be as much.
Goal specificity
Refers to how clearly a goal informs the performer precisely what he is to do. Translating a vague goal into a specific goal typically involves restating the goal in numerical terms. Goal specificity is important because specific goals draw attention to what one needs to do and reduces ambiguity in thought and variability in performance.
Goals
Something an individual is striving to accomplish Performance: goal setting generally improves your performance. Goal difficulty: how hard a goal is to accomplish. Slightly challenging goal can motivate you. Goal specificity: how clearly a goal informs the performer precisely what he is to do. Specific goals reduce ambiguity in thought and variability in performance. Difficult specific goals enhance performance. Difficult goals enhance performance and increases your effort and persistence because you continue it. Performance depends on goals, but also ability, training, coach and resources
TOTE
Test: compare present to ideal Plan: Mismatch motivates you to Plan Operate: you plan with new change Test: retest, operate, test, exit
Test operate test exit (TOTE) model
The cognitive mechanism by which plans energize and direct behavior is the test-operate-test-exit (TOTE) model. Test means to compare the present state against the ideal. A mismatch between the two (incongruity) springs the individual into action. That is, the mismatch motivates the individual to operate on the environment via a planned sequence of action. That is, when you look in the mirror to check if your hair looks okay, you test or compare the way your hair presently looks in the mirror against the way you want your hair ideally to look. But if you see a mismatch between your present hair and your ideal hair, then it is time to operate via a plan of action- you comb your hair, take a shower, use hairspray or just wear a hat. After a period of action, the person again tests the present state against the ideal. If the feedback reveals that the incongruity continues to persist, then the person continues to operate on the environment (TO TO TO...). Look in the mirror, comb, look in mirror for feedback, comb more ... As long as the incongruity persists, action continues (operates). If and whenever the present matches the ideal, the person exits the plan. Events happen in life that make us aware of the incongruities that exist between our present states and our ideal states. When these incongruities cause enough discomfort to stir us into action, we formulate plans of action and start down the road of long-term planning and the energized and directed daily activity that is TO TO TO.
Goal acceptance
The person's decision to accept or reject the goal. It leads to goal commitment
Corrective motivation
The plan (action sequence) portrays individuals as 1) detecting present-ideal inconsistencies, 2) generating a plan to elementary the incongruity, 3) instigating plan-regulated behavior, and 4) monitoring feedback as to the extent of any remaining present-ideal incongruity. However researchers no longer view plans as so fixed, static, and mechanical. Rather, plans are adjustable and subject to revision. Given an incongruity between present and ideal, one's plan is likely to change and undergo modification as is one's behavior. The emphasis on modifiable plans is important because it presents human beings as active decision makers who choose which of the following to follow in a given set of circumstances: Act (Operate) to achieve the ideal state or change and revise an ineffective plan. From this point, any present-ideal incongruity does not instigate an automatic discrepancy-motivated action sequence. Rather, incongruity gives rise to a more general "corrective motivation." Corrective motivation activates a decision-making process in which the individual considers many different possible ways for reducing the present-ideal incongruity: change the plan, change behavior (increase effort), or withdraw from the plan altogether. That is, plan-directed behavior is a dynamic, flexible process in which corrective motivation energized the individual to pursue the most adaptive course. Hence, devising a good plan for removing or reducing incongruity is only half the battle. Actually carrying out the plan is the other half of the battle because people all too often encounter problems (e.g. Situational constraints, personal inadequacies) while trying to translate their plans into action. Corrective motivation is therefore a dynamic process of going back and forth between the two points listed above--act to achieve the ideal state but also be ready to change and revise an ineffective plan. Corrective motivation also involves emotion. When people progress toward their ideal states at rates equal to their expectations, they feel little emotion. When people progress toward their ideal states at slower than expected rates, however, the persistent and salient discrepancy produces negative emotions such as anxiety, frustration or despair. When people progress toward their ideal states at faster than expected rates, discrepancy reduction produces positive emotions such as enthusiasm, hope, excitement, and joy. This, plans motivate action and the person's subsequent evaluations of progress of removing incongruities generate emotions.
Criticisms
The purpose of goal setting is to enhance performance not necessarily to motivate you. Goal setting works best when tasks are relatively uninteresting and required only a straight forward procedure. Goal setting can limit its utility in certain settings due to stress, opportunities for failure, and putting creativity and intrinsic motivation at risk. How not to overchallenge yourself with so many goals? Watch it! Something can give away with too many focuses.
The study of implementation intention
The study of how goals, once set, are effectively acted on. They are an important part of understanding motivation because it is one thing to set a goal, yet another to actually accomplish it. To set and attain a goal, one needs solutions to the sort of volitional problems such as getting started, persisting in spite of setbacks, and resuming once an interruption occurs. All goals take time but time has a way of opening the door to distractions, difficulties, and interruptions. The act of setting implementation intentions is the effort to close the door on volitional problems. In effect; implementation intentions buffer performers against failing prey to volitional problems.*. Subjects who set out a specific time and plan in which to carry out the goal directed action attained their goal compared to the group not specifying their time and place. The motivational effect of an implementation intention is to link goal directed behavior to a situational cue (i.e. Time and place) so that goal directed behavior is carried out automatically without conscious deliberation or decision making. With an implementation intention in mind, the presence of the cue facilitates the goal direction action being implemented swiftly and effortlessly. *the mere presence of the anticipated situational cue automatically initiates goal directed action. When no such intention is formed, the person's good intention to exercise may suffer the same fate as a typical New Year's resolution. Implementation intentions facilitate goal directed behavior in two ways: getting started and finishing up. Getting started with a goal directed behavior is a volitional problem when people let good opportunities to pursue their goals pass by. Finishing up is a volitional problem when people get interrupted, distracted and face difficulties.
Long term goal setting
To accomplish a distant goal, you should attain several short term goals Short term goals provide repeated commitment boosting opportunities On uninteresting tasks, short term goals create opportunities for positive feedback. On interesting tasks, long term goals facilitate intrinsic motivation. As goals become interesting and energy increases, you don't need reward as much.
Goal striving
To be successful, then you must visualize the goal you want. Think it -- be it, they say. Focus on it, visualize it, see the new you with goal in hand. Unfortunately, motivational processes are not that simple.*. The goal between goal directed thinking and goal direction action can be a wide one.
Goal Setting and Goal Striving
Translate goals you value into effective action. One means for attaining the objectives you seek is goal setting. Effective goal setting entails following and then implementing sequential procedures: 1) identify the objective to be accomplished 2) define goal difficulty 3) clarify Goal specificity 4) specify how and when performance will be measured Identifying the goal gets you halfway home. *The other half is to generate goal attainment strategies and to specify the necessary implementation intentions as in how and when you will: 1) get started 2) persist, even in the face of difficulties 3) Resume, even after interruptions Getting started means specifying when, where, how and for how long all this daily task will occur. Given this goal-setting process and the forethought to formulate implementation intentions, you now have both a goal and a plan of action as to when, where, and how the goal directed behavior will unfold (implementation intention)
Long term goals
Typically exist as complex cognitive structures. Short term goals can be thought of as specific behavioral targets such as to lose 5 pounds. Think of long term goals as cognitive lattice structures. At the top of the goal lattice structure are the pianist's most abstract and long term goals and at the bottom are the most concrete and short term goals. Each agitation is interconnected with each other in the sense that each shares in the overall goal. Each aspiration is connected in a causal flow in which the achievement of a short term goal increases the probability of attaining the next short term goal, whereas the failure to achieve one goal decreases the probability of attaining another.
Personal Strivings
What you are aiming to accomplish daily and throughout your life. Personal Strivings reflect general personality, dispositions, whereas goals reflect situationally specific objectives.
Implementation Intention
When people fail to realize the goals they set for themselves, part of the problem can be explained by how people set goals (is the goal specific, difficult, accepted, paired with feedback?). *The other part of the problem, however, is simply that people fail to act in the goals they set for themselves. "A goal without a plan is just a dream." An implementation intention is a plan to carry out one's goal-directed behavior. Deciding in advance of one's goal setting the when, where, and how long that underlies one's forthcoming goal-directed action. How do you bridge the gap between goal and action? Planning the goal-striving process to how one will attain a goal turns out to be an integral part of the goal-performance relationship. A key reason people fail to attain their goals is that they often fail to develop specific action plans for how they will reach their goals.*. They fail to specify when they will initiate their goal directed persistence in the face of distractions and interruptions. In contrast, when people with goals also specify implementation intentions, they strongly increase their chance of eventual goal attainment. Planning how to carry out a goal allows the performer to overcome the inevitable volitional problems associated with goal-directed behavior. Once a goal is set and committed to, the following volitional problems can be expected to emerge: 2) getting started, despite daily distractions 3) resuming, once an interruption occurs
