Mental contrasting instigates goal pursuit by linking obstacles of reality with instrumental behavior

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Volumn 48, Issue 4, 2012, Pages 811-818

  Kappes, Andreas ^a,c   Singmann, Henrik ^b   Oettingen, Gabriele ^a,c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG   (Germany)

^b UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG   (Germany)

^c NEW YORK UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Association; Expectation; Goal directed behaviour; Mental contrasting; Obstacle; Self regulation

Indexed keywords

EID: 84862208890     PISSN: 00221031     EISSN: 10960465     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.002     Document Type: Article

References (28)

1. Adriaanse M.A., Gollwitzer P.M., de Ridder D.T.D., de Wit J.B.F., Kroese F.M. Breaking habits with implementation intentions: A test of underlying processes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2011, 37:502-513.
2. Adriaanse M.A., Oettingen G., Gollwitzer P.M., Hennes E.P., de Ridder D.T.D., de Witt J.B.F. When planning is not enough: Fighting unhealthy snacking habits by mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII). European Journal of Social Psychology 2010, 40:1277-1293.
3. Aiken L.S., West S.G. Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions 1991, Sage Publications, Inc.
4. Cooper J. Cognitive dissonance theory. Handbook of theories in social psychology 2012, Vol. 1:377-397. Sage Publications, London.
5. De Houwer J. The propositional approach to associative learning as an alternative for association formation models. Learning & Behavior 2009, 37:1-20.
6. Festinger L. A theory of cognitive dissonance 1957, Row, Peterson, Evanston, IL.
7. Gawronski B., Bodenhausen G.V. Associative and propositional processes in evaluation: An integrative review of implicit and explicit attitude change. Psychological Bulletin 2006, 132:692-731.
8. Gollwitzer P.M. Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist 1999, 54:493-503.
9. Gollwitzer P.M., Gawrilow C., Oettingen G. The power of planning: Self-control by effective goal-striving. Self control in society, mind, and brain 2010, 279-296. Oxford University Press, New York. R.R. Hassin, K.N. Ochsner, Y. Trope (Eds.).
10. Harlan LouisR. Booker T. Washington: The making of a Black leader 1972, 1856-1901. Oxford University Press, New York.
11. Kirk, D., Oettingen, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (in press). Promoting integrative bargaining: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions. International Journal of Conflict Management.
12. Lagnado D.A., Waldmann M.R., Hagmayer Y., Sloman S.A. Beyond covariation: Cues to causal structure. Causal learning: Psychology, philosophy, and computation 2007, 154-172. Oxford University Press, New York. A. Gopnik, L. Schulz (Eds.).
13. Muller D., Judd C.M., Yzerbyt V.Y. When moderation is meditated and when mediation is moderated. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2005, 89:852-863.
14. Oettingen G. Expectancy effects on behavior depend on self-regulatory thought. Social Cognition 2000, 18:101-129.
15. Oettingen G., Gollwitzer P.M. Goal setting and goal striving. Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Intraindividual processes 2001, 329-347. Blackwell, Oxford. A. Tesser, N. Schwarz (Eds.).
16. Oettingen G., Hönig G., Gollwitzer P.M. Effective self-regulation of goal attainment. International Journal of Educational Research 2000, 33:705-732.
17. Oettingen G., Mayer D., Sevincer A.T., Stephens E.J., Pak H., Hagenah M. Mental contrasting and goal commitment: The mediating role of energization. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2009, 35:498-512.
18. Oettingen G., Mayer D., Stephens E.J., Brinkmann B. Mental contrasting and the self-regulation of helping relations. Social Cognition 2010, 28:490-508.
19. Oettingen G., Mayer D., Thorpe J.S. Self-regulation of commitment to reduce cigarette consumption: Mental contrasting of future with reality. Psychology and Health 2010, 25:961-977.
20. Oettingen G., Mayer D., Thorpe J.S., Janetzke H., Lorenz S. Turning fantasies about positive and negative futures into self-improvement goals. Motivation and Emotion 2005, 29:237-267.
21. Oettingen G., Pak H., Schnetter K. Self-regulation of goal-setting: Turning free fantasies about the future into binding goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2001, 80:736-753.
22. Oettingen G., Stephens E.J. Fantasies and motivationally intelligent goal setting. The psychology of goals 2009, 153-178. Guilford Press, New York. G.B. Moskowitz, H. Grant (Eds.).
23. Preacher K.J., Rucker D.D., Hayes A.F. Addressing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research 2007, 42:185-227.
24. Schafer J.L. Generalized estimating equations. Models for intensive longitudinal data 2006, 55-92. Springer, New York. T.A. Walls, J.L. Schafer (Eds.).
25. Taylor S.E., Pham L.B., Rivkin I.D., Armor D.A. Harnessing the imagination: Mental simulation, self-regulation, and coping. American Psychologist 1998, 53:429-439.
26. Waldmann M.R., Hagmayer Y. Estimating causal strength: The role of structural knowledge and processing effort. Cognition 2001, 82:27-58.
27. Webb T.L., Sheeran P. How do implementation intentions promote goal attainment? A test of component processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 2007, 43:295-302.
28. Wood W., Neal D.T. A new look at habits and the interface between habits and goals. Psychological Review 2007, 114:843-863.