Pursuing Personal Goals: Skills Enable Progress, but Not all Progress is Beneficial
Abstract
Although goal theorists have speculated about the causes and consequences of making progress at personal goals, little longitudinal research has examined these issues. In the current prospective study, participants with stronger social and self-regulatory skills made more progress in their goals over the course of a semester. In turn, goal progress predicted increases in psychological well-being, both in short-term (5-day) increments and across the whole semester; At both short- and long-term levels of analysis, however, the amount that well-being increased depended on the "organismic congruence" of participants' goals. That is, participants benefited most from goal attainment when the goals that they pursued were consistent with inherent psychological needs. We conclude that a fuller understanding of the relations between goals, performance, and psychological well-being requires recourse to both cybernetic and organismic theories of motivation.
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When goal attainment was seen as instrumental for extrinsic possible futures, it was unrelated to psychological health.
“Specifically, when goal attainment was seen as instrumental for intrinsic possible futures it related positively to psychological health (viz., life satisfaction, positive affect, and the reverse of depression and negative affect), but when goal attainment was instrumental for extrinsic possible futures it was unrelated to psychological health.”
From The path taken: Consequences of attaining intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations in post-college life (2009) · cites this paper as Sheldon and Kasser (1998)
When goal attainment was seen as instrumental for intrinsic possible futures, it was positively related to psychological health.
“Specifically, when goal attainment was seen as instrumental for intrinsic possible futures it related positively to psychological health (viz., life satisfaction, positive affect, and the reverse of depression and negative affect), but when goal attainment was instrumental for extrinsic possible futures it was unrelated to psychological health.”
From The path taken: Consequences of attaining intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations in post-college life (2009) · cites this paper as Sheldon and Kasser (1998)
Students' overall progress toward goal attainment during a semester was beneficial for their psychological health.
“Sheldon and Kasser (1998) reported that students' overall progress toward goal attainment during a semester was beneficial for their psychological health.”
From The path taken: Consequences of attaining intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations in post-college life (2009) · cites this paper as Sheldon and Kasser (1998)
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References 69 · Cited by 768
- Authors
- Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Missouri (US)
- Knox College (US)
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 1998-12
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1319-1331
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W1968096614
- Cited by
- 768
- References
- 69
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 56 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 40
- FWCI
- 19.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Keywords
- personal goals, goal progress, psychological well-being, self-regulation, social skills, psychological needs, goal achievement
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