Motivating Personal Growth by Seeking Discomfort

Woolley, Kaitlin; Fishbach, Ayelet

doi:10.1177/09567976211044685

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…Several studies have found that when people identify their core personal values, they persist longer on a cold pressor task (Branstetter-Rost et al, 2009; Smith et al, 2019) and willingly approach more aversive stimuli (Hebert et al, 2021). Relatedly, when people frame the experience of discomfort as contributing toward personal growth, they actively approach discomfort more readily (Woolley & Fishbach, 2022). Helping clients modulate their goals and values to include distress, as well as helping clients frame distress as contributing to goals and values, can both address willingness, along with other actions (e.g., the “willing hands” activity in DBT) that encourage clients to take an open and accepting stance toward their distress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of Momentary Distress Tolerance: Toward Understanding Contextually Situated Choices to Engage With or Avoid Distress

Veilleux

2022

Clinical Psychological Science

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As a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor, low distress tolerance predicts a wide variety of psychopathology. The current article extends past research, which has typically adopted an individual-differences approach, by articulating a social-cognitive theory of momentary distress tolerance. This new model intentionally separates actions taken to remain engaged with distress (i.e., tolerance) from avoidance/escape actions associated with intolerance, and highlights willingness to experience distress as central to tolerance. In addition, self-efficacy for tolerating distress is highlighted as a central predictor of the tolerance/intolerance process, influenced by distress intensity and momentary psychological resources (e.g., hunger, tiredness, degree of life stressors, social support). Finally, the model also explains how repeated experiences of distress tolerance and/or intolerance coalesce into a global self-perception indicative of individual differences in distress tolerance. Reasons why the proposed model has the potential to overcome current challenges in distress tolerance research are reviewed, and future directions for both research and clinical practice are highlighted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of Momentary Distress Tolerance: Toward Understanding Contextually Situated Choices to Engage With or Avoid Distress

Veilleux

2022

Clinical Psychological Science

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“…In educational settings, this is of course only possible within controlled learning settings and the effects of such interventions on use of desirable difficulties and transfer to novel contexts remains to be examined. Finally, recent research revealed that framing the feeling of discomfort while engaging in a task as a sign of improvement in knowledge or skill motivated engagement in the task and improved goal achievement (Woolley & Fishbach, 2022). Whether and how this applies to the context of desirable difficulties is an important question for further research.…”

Section: Accepting High Perceived Effortmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worth the Effort: the Start and Stick to Desirable Difficulties (S2D2) Framework

et al. 2023

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Desirable difficulties are learning conditions that are often experienced as effortful, but have a positive effect on learning results and transfer of knowledge and skills (Bjork & Bjork, 2011; Bjork, 1994). Learners often do not appreciate the beneficial effects of desirable difficulties, and the negative experiences of high effort and perceived low learning make them resistant to engage in desirable difficulties (Biwer et al., 2020a). This ultimately limits learning outcomes and academic achievement. With the increasing emphasis on self-regulation in education, characterized by higher learner agency and abundant choices in what, when, and how to study, the field of educational psychology is in need of theoretical and empirically testable assumptions that improve self-regulation in desirably difficult learning conditions with the aim to foster self-regulation abilities, learning outcomes, and academic achievement. Here, we present a framework that describes how to support self-regulation of effort when engaging in desirable difficulties: the “Start and Stick to Desirable Difficulties (S2D2)” framework. The framework builds on the Effort Monitoring and Regulation model (de Bruin et al., 2020). The aim of this framework is (1) to describe evidence for the central role of perceived effort and perceived learning in (dis)engagement in desirable difficulties, and (2) to review evidence on, and provide an agenda for research to improve learners’ self-regulated use of desirable difficulties to help them start and persist when learning feels tough, but is actually effective.

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“…With this intrinsic motivation advantage, improvisation can profitably reduce our reliance on top‐down strategies for advancing EDI (Fishbach & Woolley, 2022; Georgeac & Rattan, 2022). Too many advocacy efforts depend on instrumental arguments—like the “business case” for diversity—to attract people, touting the performance benefits EDI initiatives can provide.…”

Section: The Promise Of Improvisation For Equity Diversity and Inclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The revolution can be improvised: An intrinsically motivating approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Caruso

2023

Social & Personality Psych

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With unfolding advances in anti‐discrimination policy, communication technology, and affordable transportation, society is gaining an historic opportunity to embrace differences in background and perspective as part of ordinary life. Unfortunately, we can be overly pessimistic about the prospect of attracting stakeholders to the work, because overwhelming societal barriers have long perpetuated narrow and inauspicious views of our paths forward. The result can be our unnecessary and ineffective reliance on top‐down imperatives as necessary to compel engagement. Improvisation can help us do better. After describing how contextual conditions are shifting favorably, I illustrate the prospective benefits of an improvisational approach to EDI—particularly in fostering intrinsic motivation—and extend basic psychological needs theory to provide guidance for successful implementation.

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Motivating Personal Growth by Seeking Discomfort

Cited by 22 publications

References 42 publications

A Theory of Momentary Distress Tolerance: Toward Understanding Contextually Situated Choices to Engage With or Avoid Distress

A Theory of Momentary Distress Tolerance: Toward Understanding Contextually Situated Choices to Engage With or Avoid Distress

Worth the Effort: the Start and Stick to Desirable Difficulties (S2D2) Framework

The revolution can be improvised: An intrinsically motivating approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion

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