ABSTRACT
Imagine setting a goal for yourself, say, to write a manuscript over your spring break. As the week goes on and you make progress—finishing the methods sections, for example—how would this affect your motivation to continue working? On the one hand, now that you have made progress, you may feel more motivated, focusing on your closeness to goal attainment. On the other hand, now that you have made progress, you may feel less motivated, focusing on other goals that are farther from goal attainment (e.g., catching up with friends). In this chapter, we suggest that whether your progress inspires or demotivates you will depend on features of both the goal environment and the goal pursuer. We will ask: When does progress lead to enhanced effort toward focal goal attainment, and when does it lead to reduced effort toward focal goal attainments—or even enhanced effort toward alternate goals?
