An action crisis has been defined as the decisional conflict between continuing and disengaging from the pursuit of a personal goal. In line with Klinger's (1975) theoretical ideas about an incentive-disengagement cycle and in line with mindset theory of action phases (Gollwitzer, 1990(Gollwitzer, , 2012, experiencing an action crisis has been related to cognitive and affective mechanisms assumed to facilitate the abandonment of a goal (e.g., symptoms of depression, reevaluation of the respective pros and cons). An action crisis' role in the prediction of goal disengagement, however, has not yet been empirically validated. In accordance with the theoretical conceptions, in a longitudinal study with n ϭ 207 freshman students over one and a half years, an action crisis, with respect to one's studies as well as 2 nonacademic personal goals, had a predictive effect on goal disengagement and, for the academic goal, progress (i.e., the total amount of accumulated credit points). Furthermore, a more severe action crisis was longitudinally associated with an earlier disengagement. All effects remained stable when controlling for goal desirability and attainability as well as an array of self-regulatory traits. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for self-regulation in personal goal striving.
Lay theories about willpower-the belief that willpower is a limited versus nonlimited resource-affect self-control and goal striving in everyday life (Job, Dweck, & Walton, 2010). Three studies examined whether willpower theories also relate to people's subjective well-being by shaping the progress they make toward their personal goals. A cross-sectional (Study 1) and two longitudinal studies (Studies 2 and 3) measured individuals' willpower theories and different indicators of subjective well-being. Additionally, Study 3 measured goal striving and personal goal progress. A limited theory about willpower was associated with lower subjective well-being in a sample of working adults (Study 1, N = 258). Further, a limited theory predicted lower levels of well-being at a time when students faced high self-regulatory demands (Study 2, N = 196). Study 3 (N = 157) replicated the finding that students with a limited theory experienced lower well-being in phases of high self-regulatory demands and found that personal goal progress mediated this relationship. Results suggest that the belief that willpower is based on a limited resource has negative implications not only for self-control but also for personal goal striving and subjective well-being.
To date, it is not well understood how individuals disengage from goals. A recent approach suggests that disengagement is often preceded by an action crisis, a motivational conflict in which the individual is torn between holding on to and letting go of a personal goal. We postulate that a dynamic interplay between the experience of action crisis and appraisals of goal desirability and attainability shapes the disengagement process from personal goals. In two longitudinal studies ( N = 364), an action crisis in the goal to complete a university degree predicted devaluations of its desirability and attainability, and reversely, low goal attainability (but not desirability) predicted an increase in action crisis. Moreover, studies provided first evidence that devaluing goal desirability might be functional for well-being in an action crisis. Studies strengthen the view that disengagement is shaped by reciprocal processes between the experience of action crisis and changes in goal appraisal.
A critical phase in goal striving occurs when setbacks accumulate and goal disengagement becomes an issue. This critical phase is conceptualized as an action crisis and assumed to be characterized by an intrapsychic conflict in which the individual becomes torn between further goal pursuit and goal disengagement. Our theorizing converges with Klinger's conceptualization of goal disengagement as a process, rather than a discrete event. Two longitudinal field studies tested and found support for the hypothesis that an action crisis not only compromises an individual's psychological and physiological well-being, but also dampens the cognitive evaluation of the respective goal. In Study 3, marathon runners experiencing an action crisis in their goal of running marathons showed a stronger cortisol secretion and a lower performance in the race 2 weeks later. Results are interpreted in terms of action-phase-specific mindsets with a focus on self-regulatory processes in goal disengagement.
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