The Temporal Dynamics of Goal Systems

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, the author first discusses recent research on the temporal dynamics of goal pursuit, demonstrating how the key drivers of motivation change between early stage, middle stage, and later stage over the course of goal pursuit. The author then discusses how the effects of goal systems can change from one stage to another as a result of these temporal dynamics. For instance, providing multiple (vs. a single) means for goal pursuit would be more motivating early on as it reassures the goal’s attainability but can create decisional costs when offered in the later stage. Similarly, a flexible (vs. fixed) sequencing of steps to a goal is motivating for goal initiation but not for goal completion. Lastly, the author discusses how a goal’s structure, such as dividing an overall goal into multiple smaller subgoals or providing multiple rewards for goal attainment, can also produce temporally dynamic effects on individuals’ motivation. The author completes this chapter with a discussion of some promising directions for future research at the intersection of temporal dynamics and the structuring of goal pursuit.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 4 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.