When Goal Pursuit Gets Hairy: A Longitudinal Goal Study Examining the Role of Controlled Motivation and Action Crises in Predicting Changes in Hair Cortisol, Perceived Stress, Health, and Depression Symptoms

The action crisis is a critical phase in goal striving during which the goal pursuer feels conflicted about persevering with the goal or initiating disengagement. Recent research suggests that goal motivation, specifically controlled motivation (i.e., pursuing a goal out of obligation and pressure), increases the likelihood of experiencing action crises. In turn, action crises in goal pursuit have been linked to increases in depression symptoms and cortisol. In the present 8-month longitudinal study, we tracked university students’ personal goals to examine whether the pursuit of controlled goals and the experience of action crises was associated with increasing levels of hair cortisol, perceived stress, poor health, and depression symptoms ( N = 156). Structural equation modeling suggested that experiencing action crises in goal pursuit was associated with increases in markers of stress, depression, and ill-being. This effect was partially explained by controlled goal motivation. The clinical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation towards personal goals?

Recent research suggests that mindfulness meditation may impair motivation towards traditional laboratory tasks. The present research explored the effects of meditation on motivation towards personal goals and an anagram task. In Study 1 (n = 200), participants in the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than those in a comparison podcast condition (due to a decrease in the podcast condition); this difference remained 10 minutes later. Exploratory analyses revealed no differences between conditions in post-manipulation anagram motivation. In Study 2 (n = 120), participants in the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than those in the podcast condition; this difference remained 20 minutes later. There were no differences between conditions in anagram motivation. Furthermore, goal motivation increased from before to after meditating, whereas anagram motivation remained the same. These findings oppose the notion that meditation impairs motivation and instead suggest that meditation may offer motivational benefits for personal goal pursuit.

Mind Your Goals, Mind Your Emotions: Mechanisms Explaining the Relation Between Dispositional Mindfulness and Action Crises

Action crises describe the intra-psychic conflicts people face when deliberating whether to continue pursuing or to give up a goal for which difficulties keep accumulating. Action crises lead to negative consequences such as elevated distress and depression. Less is known about their predictors. We propose mindfulness as a negative predictor of action crises because mindful people should set more autonomous goals and better regulate their emotions. Three prospective studies examined the relation between mindfulness and action crises and explored goal motivation and emotion regulation as mediators (Study 1, N = 137 students, mean age 22; Study 2, N = 79 students, mean age 24.27; Study 3, N = 236 workers, mean age 40.71). Results showed that mindfulness predicts action crises over time and that this relation is mediated by goal motivation and emotion regulation. We discuss how mindfulness can affect action crises in the phases of the Rubicon Model of goal pursuit.

Strive towards a good performance or avoid a failure performance in entrepreneurship education: a look into growth and independence-oriented intentions

PurposePrior studies on entrepreneurial intention have shown that different orientations exist regarding entrepreneurial engagement: one looking at the growth of a venture (growth-oriented) and the other looking at the maintenance of an entrepreneurial autonomy (independence-oriented). Filling a gap in the literature concerning the reasons why individuals develop different orientations of entrepreneurial intention, this study revolves around achievement goal motivation (mastery, performance and avoidance approaches) and self-regulatory modes (locomotion and assessment), since both are thought to be at the origin and maintenance of an action willingness.Design/methodology/approachIn a sample of 209 undergraduates, we administered a structured questionnaire at the beginning of an elective entrepreneurship education programme. Through a set of hierarchical regressions we examined the specific role of achievement goal motivation and regulatory modes in relation to the two orientations of intention.FindingsOur findings show that, on the one hand, growth-oriented intention is related to a performance approach and both locomotion and assessment regulatory modes. On the other hand, independence-oriented intention is related to an avoidance approach.Research limitations/implicationsThese results illuminate the theoretical connections between entrepreneurial intention and motivation and provide implications for entrepreneurship education and the relationship between intention and consequent behaviour.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to provide an empirical exploration of the motivational and regulatory drivers that lie beneath a growth-oriented and an independent-oriented intention, offering a theoretical explanation about the development of different intentions towards venture creation. Our findings illuminate on the urgency to consider entrepreneurial intention as a multi-dimensional construct if we are to understand the intention-behaviour nexus.

The predictive power of approach and autonomous goal motivation for work engagement among public sector employees

This paper compares the relative predictive power of approach goal motivation and autonomous goal motivation for work engagement among public sector employees. To do so, it employs the goal-striving reasons framework within which people’s approach goal motivation is measured as well as the self-concordance theory which measures people’s autonomous goal motivation. Findings are based on cross-sectional and longitudinal data of 132 public service employees at time 1 and 78 employees at time 2. Overall, the results show, using multiple regression analysis, that approach goal motivation significantly predicts work engagement whereas autonomous goal motivation is not a significant predictor of work engagement. On an individual goal-reason level, a similar picture emerges. Pleasure and altruism, the two approaching goal-striving reasons, are descriptively more strongly correlated with work engagement than their comparable self-concordance reason of intrinsic and identified goal motivation. When testing the predictive power of pleasure and altruism with intrinsic and identified goal motivation simultaneously, using multiple regression analysis, pleasure remains the only significant predictor of work engagement at time one and time two. The findings suggest that approach motivation is a stronger predictor of work engagement than autonomous goal motivation for public sector employees. Additionally, the findings also indicate that pleasure is more important for the work engagement of public sector employees than their altruistic goal motivation on an individual goal-reason level.

Comparative Study to Analyze the Motivational Patterns among Students of a Healthcare University in UAE Using the Achievement Goal Questionnaire (Revised)

Aims: This cross sectional study was conducted on students at Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University to analyze the motivation patterns in the health sciences university students. Methodology: Total number of students who participated were 145. Data was entered into SPSS 22 software and analyzed. Student ‘t’ test was used to compare among the groups. Results: The study results showed that all students exhibited highest scores of Mastery Approach goal motivation >10.62±4.24; but there was a decay in the later years of study and the Mastery Avoidance scores increased. This was more pronounced in the medical students (P =0.02). Conclusion: This work underscores the notion that health sciences students are highly motivated and strive hard to achieve their goals. This study can be used to develop teaching methodologies and assessments that promote deep approaches to learning.

Personality Differences in Hope and Optimism on Consideration of Future Consequences and Goal Motivation

Hope helps us maintain an optimistic outlook for the future and hold the belief that our goals will be met. Hope can explain motivation of several behaviors related to physical and mental health. Hope has two elements: agency and pathway, which refer to distinct styles of hope an individual may have in a variety of situations. Hope for a positive outcome in the future may be related to how an individual considers their actions and the impact they may have in the future. Previous research has suggested specific personality traits may become more prominent when environmental factors are present. Findings indicate hope has an impact when considering the future implications of one’s actions. Additionally, select personality traits appear to play a role in the relationship between hope, goal motivation, and consideration of future consequences.

DEVELOPING THE MOTIVATION OF DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING STUDENTS TO LEARN AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

If a student’s goal is academic achievement and he/she makes an effort to achieve it, he/she will become involved in classroom activities because they are a means for him/her to achieve that goal. Motivation, as an influence that brings about, directs and sustains an activity, is very important for learning. The aim of this paper is to point out the relationship between motivation to learn and academic achievement of deaf and hard of hearing students and to emphasise the importance of appropriate involvement of parents and teachers in the teaching process and the development of motivation in these students. Variables that correlate with academic achievement are presented. Views of the author are stated, which are based on research results and practice, according to which it appears that deaf and hard of hearing students usually have poorer academic achievement than their hearing peers, as well as a lower level of motivation to learn. It can be concluded that the development of interest and motivation to learn is not paid sufficient attention by both deaf and hard of hearing students themselves and their environment (parents and teachers). Where parents and teachers have high expectations of students and take into account all their personal characteristics and other factors, and where parents and teachers are appropriately involved in the teaching process, deaf and hard of hearing students show high levels of interest and motivation to learn and attain better academic achievement.