The role of goal-related autonomy: A self-determination theory analysis of perfectionism, poor goal progress, and depressive symptoms.
Abstract
Adopting a self-determination theory perspective, this 3-wave longitudinal study explores the role of perfectionism in goal pursuit and the experience of depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the role of goal-related autonomy in mediating the opposite effects of self-critical and personal standards perfectionism on goal progress and depressive symptoms over the course of an academic year. The results suggest a way of understanding the pathway to depressive symptoms and poor goal progress in perfectionists. They point to a number of implications for clinical practice when working with self-critical perfectionists. Specifically, they indicate that interventions aimed at promoting autonomous motivation, may not only bolster goal progress but also act as a protective factor against depressive symptoms. Together, the results indicate that autonomous motivation is central to goal progress and suggest that low goal-related autonomy can be linked to negative outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Cross-lagged impacts existed between autonomous goal motivation and depression among undergraduates and graduates.
“cross-lagged impacts existed between autonomous goal motivation and depression among undergraduates and graduates (Moore et al., 2021)”
From Helicopter Parenting and Emotional Problems in Chinese Emerging Adults: Are there Cross-lagged Effects and the Mediations of Autonomy? (2023) · cites this paper as Moore et al., 2021
College students are more likely to face temporary declines in self-assertion, self-evaluation, and autonomous behaviors if they experience more significant emotional difficulties at the beginning of the first semester.
“Explicitly speaking, college students are more likely to face temporary declines in self-assertion, self-evaluation, and autonomous behaviors if they experience more significant emotional difficulties at the beginning of the first semester (Moore et al., 2021).”
From Helicopter Parenting and Emotional Problems in Chinese Emerging Adults: Are there Cross-lagged Effects and the Mediations of Autonomy? (2023) · cites this paper as Moore et al., 2021
Cites
Still being checked.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Gao, W., Hou, Y., Hao, S., & Yu, A. (2023) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-022-01702-5 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“For instance, cross-lagged impacts existed between autonomous goal motivation and depression among undergraduates and graduates (Moore et al., 2021); the performance of autonomy in adolescents significantly predicted maternal control (Ravindran et al., 2020).”
BackgroundSezer, B., Riddell, H., Gucciardi, D. F., Sheldon, K. M., Sedikides, C., Vasconcellos, D., Jackson, B., Thøgersen‐Ntoumani, C., & Ntoumanis, N. (2024) · Motivation Science · doi:10.1037/mot0000366 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Mohr, M., Venz, L., & Sonnentag, S. (2022) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12403 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Do Not Increase Suicide: Correcting a False Research Narrative
Sullins, D. P. (2022) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-022-02408-2 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Ojo, A. O., Ravichander, S., Tan, C. N.-L., Anthonysamy, L., & Arasanmi, C. N. (2024) · Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education · doi:10.1108/jarhe-09-2023-0445 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
White, S., Smith, I. C., & Brewe, A. M. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05145-y · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The Role of Motivation in the Lifecycle of Personal Goals
Holding, A. C., & Koestner, R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197600047.013.16 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationGuided Goal Setting in Therapy Towards Being Fully Functioning
Renger, S., & Macaskill, A. (2021) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1007/s10879-021-09505-8 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Clegg, K., Levine, S. L., Zuroff, D. C., Holding, A. C., Shahar, G., & Koestner, R. (2022) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-022-09995-6 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citationÇavuş, A., ZİRZAKIRAN, F., & Tokgöz, L. (2025) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/21582440241310903 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Avery, J., Leboeuf, J., Holding, A. C., Moore, A. M., Levine, S. L., & Koestner, R. (2022) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2022.111869 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationAutonomy support buffers the impact of self-criticism on depression
Powers, T. A., Moore, E., Levine, S. L., Holding, A. C., Zuroff, D. C., & Koestner, R. (2022) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2022.111876 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationLeduc‐Cummings, I., Milyavskaya, M., Howard, A. L., & Drapeau, M. (2024) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23744 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The amygdala and the pursuit of future rewards
Johnson, S. T., & Fabian Grabenhorst, B. (2025) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2024.1517231 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on How to Choose, Use, and Lose Personal Goals
Holding, A. C., & Koestner, R. (2022) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199841332.013.39 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationCao, C., Chang, W., & Dong, H. (2024) · Educational Psychology · doi:10.1080/01443410.2024.2419891 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Wang, L., Guan, H., Fu, J., & Yu, W. (2026) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2026.2616286 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Explaining factors influencing students' depression with a deep learning approach
Li, X., Hu, Y., Chen, H., Wang, X., & Gong, F. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1684274 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Salas-Paramo, J., & Escandon-Barbosa, D. (2023) · Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing · doi:10.1080/08974438.2023.2183299 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Leduc‐Cummings, I., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A. C., Koestner, R., & Drapeau, M. (2022) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2022.41.6.541 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationNEED FOR RELATEDNESS AND EATING BEHAVIOUR IN MILLENNIALS
Barbosa, D. E., & Salas-Paramo, J. A. (2024) · Verslas teorija ir praktika · doi:10.3846/btp.2024.16755 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Kao, D. T. (2025) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/jasp.70000 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Liu, L., Wang, D.-Q., Wu, W., Xiang, M., Li, X., Zhao, Y., Wang, J.-Y., & Wang, A. (2024) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33818 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Xia, J., Du, J., Yang, T., & Zhou, J. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13010402
Levine, S. L., Clegg, K., Zuroff, D. C., Holding, A. C., Shahar, G., & Koestner, R. (2022) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/sjfep
Self-citationPerfectionism, Goal Orientation, and Emerging Adults’ Identity Processing Styles
Rice, K. G., Lopez, F. G., & Wang, Q. (2023) · Emerging Adulthood · doi:10.1177/21676968231166715
Sullins, D. P. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/yns8b
Context matters: Need frustration predicts self-critical perfectionism within domains and over timePreprint
Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., Wang, C., Levine, S. L., & Koestner, R. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/pn5ba · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationMental Health Implications of Self-Determined Music Engagement: Exploring the Role of Self-CriticismPreprint
Koehler, F., Vigl, J., & Saarikallio, S. H. (2023) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4656061
Reindl, C., & Störmer, M. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-45634-4_14
Implementing a Design Framework for Enhancing Student-Centered Learning in an Online Graduate Class
Özgün, O., Sadık, O., & Bonk, C. J. (2025) · TechTrends · doi:10.1007/s11528-025-01121-w
Perfectionism and Well-Being: An Investigation into the Mediating Role of Eudaimonic Motives
Burkitt, W. T. (2025) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941251370269
Consiglio, M. D., D’Olimpio, F., & Couyoumdjian, A. (2026) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare14081107
Silvestro, O., Vicent, M., Fuster‐Rico, A., & Gonzálvez, C. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-09590-9
Choi, J. N., Hai, S., Zhou, B., & Park, I. (2026) · European Management Journal · doi:10.1016/j.emj.2026.08.005
Avery, J., Fang, X., Holding, A. C., Audet, É. C., & Koestner, R. (2026) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-026-10283-w
Self-citation
- Authors
- Moore, E., Holding, A. C., Moore, A., Levine, S. L., Powers, T. A., Zuroff, D. C., & Koestner, R.
- Affiliations
- McGill University (CA)
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Counseling Psychology
- Published
- 2021-01
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 88-97
- ISSN
- 0022-0167 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2168
- OpenAlex
- W3020821948
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 3
- FWCI
- 1.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Counseling Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation
- Keywords
- self-determination theory, perfectionism, self-critical perfectionism, personal standards perfectionism, goal progress, depressive symptoms, autonomous motivation, goal pursuit, academic year
- MeSH terms
- Perfectionism, Adolescent, Adult, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Goals, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Personal Autonomy, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
