Coman, Ruxandra (2022) The Effect of Goal Focus on Successful Goal Pursuit: the Role of Self-Esteem. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Pursuing personally meaningful goals is central to human beings as it provides a sense of meaning and direction. Goal focus – the extent to which one focuses on the means or the outcomes of their goal – has been shown to yield beneficial effects that facilitate goal pursuit. Self-esteem has also been linked to influential factors in decision-making and goal pursuit. While studies regarding goal focus and successful goal pursuit exist, little is known about potential moderating effects of self-esteem on this relationship. This experimental study investigated the moderator hypothesis that for individuals low in self-esteem, an outcome focus will result in higher chances of successful goal pursuit, whereas for individuals high in self-esteem, a process focus will result in higher chances of successful goal pursuit. Participants (N = 60) were first-year students participating in exchange for course credits and individuals recruited through various social media. A between-subjects design was adopted where for 5 days, participants focused on the process or the outcome of a self-chosen goal. Contrary to the hypothesis, results showed no significant interaction effect, (t(59) = -.40, p =.69). Thus, no evidence suggests that self-esteem moderated the relationship between goal focus and successful goal pursuit. In contrast, a surprisingly marginally significant effect for the manipulation was found (t(59)= 1.70, p =.09). This indicated that the more participants adopted an outcome (versus a process) focus, the more successfully they pursued their goals. Implications of these results have been discussed. Keywords: goal focus, process, outcome, successful goal pursuit, self-esteem, individual differences
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Meerholz, E.W. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Other [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Feb 2022 11:09 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Feb 2022 11:09 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/217 |
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