ABSTRACT
Goal pursuit starts with setting goals for oneself or with adopting goals assigned by others. Most theories of motivation (Ajzen, 1991; Atkinson, 1957; Bandura, 1997; Brehm & Self, 1989; Carver & Scheier, 1998; Gollwitzer, 1990; Locke & Latham, 1990; Sheeran, 2002; Vroom, 1964) suggest that people prefer to choose and adopt goals that are desirable and feasible. Desirability is determined by the estimated attractiveness of likely short-term and long-term consequences of goal attainment. Such consequences may pertain to anticipated self-evaluations, evaluations of significant others, progress toward some higher order goal, external rewards of having attained the goal, and the joy/pain associated with moving toward the goal (Heckhausen, 1977). Feasibility depends on people's judgments of their capabilities to perform relevant goal-directed behaviors (Le., self-efficacy expectations; Bandura, 1997), their beliefs that these goal-directed behaviors will lead to the desired outcome (Le., outcome expectations; Bandura, 1997; instrumentality beliefs, Vroom, 1964), the judged likelihood of attaining the desired outcome (Le., general expectations; Oettingen, 1996) or desired outcomes in general (optimism; Scheier & Carver, 1987).
