Abstract
Goal complexes, which are formed by pairing standards of competence strivings with their underlying reasons, are essential to an understanding of achievement goal regulation. This paper examines goal complexes that cross other-approach and other-avoidance goals with the approach-avoidance dimensions of Big Three motives as underlying reasons. 220 undergraduates participated in Study 1 which developed and validated the Self-Attributed Motive Scale to measure hope of success, fear of failure, hope of affiliation, fear of rejection, hope of power, and fear of loss of power. Additionally, 235 undergraduates participated in Study 2 where goal complexes were created by crossing the motive items developed in Study 1 with other-approach and other-avoidance goals. The predictive utility of the resultant goal complexes was examined in relation to positive well-being (positive learning-related emotions and engagement), negative well-being (negative learning-related emotions and burnout), and academic buoyancy. The contributions of the studies to the self-attributed motive and goal complex literatures are discussed.
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Notes
Consistent with the purpose of our analysis to examine the predictive validity of all goal complexes on the outcomes, we conducted a series of multiple regression analyses, in which each outcome was regressed on the set of goal complexes. Readers who are interested in the incremental validity of goal complexes over and above goals only or reasons only may refer to Sommet and Elliot (2017).
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A portion of this research was based on the first author’s doctoral dissertation. This research was supported in part by the Thesis Allowance under Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship given to the first author.
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Tan, S.H., Liem, G.A.D., Ramos, R.L. et al. Goal complexes: Integrating achievement goals as standards and self-attributed motives as reasons underlying goal pursuit. Soc Psychol Educ 25, 845–880 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09699-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09699-2