open access publication

Article, 2023

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

The Journal of Social Psychology, ISSN 1940-5286, 0022-4545, 8756-7547, 1940-1183, Volume 164, 2, Pages 230-243, 10.1080/00224545.2022.2163610

Contributors

Riddell, Hugh 0000-0001-8218-7822 (Corresponding author) [1] Lamont, Wesley [1] Lombard, Merrill [1] Paduano, Sarah [2] Maltagliati, Silvio 0000-0001-7199-0599 [3] Gucciardi, Daniel Frank 0000-0001-5448-3990 [1] Ntoumanis, Nikos 0000-0001-7122-3795 [1] [2] [4]

Affiliations

  1. [1] Curtin University
  2. [NORA names: Australia; Oceania; OECD];
  3. [2] University of Southern Denmark
  4. [NORA names: SDU University of Southern Denmark; University; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD];
  5. [3] Grenoble Alpes University
  6. [NORA names: France; Europe, EU; OECD];
  7. [4] Halmstad University
  8. [NORA names: Sweden; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD]

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Mental, Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions, attainment, automation strategy, autonomous motivation, behavior, competitive goals, conscious effort, conscious investment, contrast, control, cycle goals, development, development of goal-directed behaviors, ease, efforts, goal, goal attainment, goal pursuit, goal striving, goal-directed behavior, implementation, implementation intentions, individuals, influence, influence of obstacles, intention, investment, investment of effort, long-term goal pursuit, mental contrasting, motivation, obstacles, overcome obstacles, participants, people, physiological effort, pursuit, reduction, relations, strategies, striving, study, subjective ease, technique

Funders

  • Australian Research Council

Data Provider: Digital Science