Attaining personal goals: Self-concordance plus implementation intentions equals success.
Abstract
The present article includes separate meta-analyses showing that self-concordance and implementation intentions are significantly positively associated with goal progress. Study 1 confirmed the positive relations of both self-concordance and implementation intentions to weekend goal progress. Study 2 confirmed the positive relation of self-concordance with monthly progress on New Year's resolutions but failed to find a direct benefit for implementation intentions. Both studies, however, obtained a significant interaction effect indicating that goal self-concordance and implementation intentions combined synergistically to facilitate goal progress. The article also reports a meta-analysis and results from the 2 studies that demonstrated that goal progress was associated with improved affect over time.
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The four reasons for pursuing strivings scales have been shown to be psychometrically sound in prior work.
“These scales have been previously shown to be psychometrically sound (Koestner, Lekes, Powers, & Chicoine, 2002; Sheldon & Elliot, 1998; Sheldon & Houser-Marko, 2001).”
From Commitment to a purpose in life: An antidote to the suffering by individuals with social anxiety disorder. (2013) · cites this paper as Koestner, Lekes, Powers, & Chicoine, 2002
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“As in many previous studies ( Austin & Vancouver, 1996 ), commitment and efficacy were both positively related to goal progress in our studies.”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Koestner, R., Lekes, N., Powers, T. A., & Chicoine, E.
- Affiliations
- McGill University (CA)
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 2002-07
- Volume
- 83
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 231-244
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W1968426257
- Cited by
- 526
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 33
- FWCI
- 11.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Keywords
- self-concordance, implementation intentions, goal progress, goal achievement, New Year's resolutions, goal commitment
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Goals, Humans, Male, Self Concept, Intention
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