ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the dynamics of the pursuit of multiple goals through both the top-down and bottom-up lenses. It reviews research showing how consumers manage their goals by shielding them from the influence of competing goals, balance different goals over time, or switch flexibly from one goal to the other. The chapter examines how goals emerge over time in response to situational and personality triggers that direct attention to goal-relevant features. One of the typical responses to goal competition/conflict is to shield a more important or salient goal and inhibit the activation of the alternative goal. The process of resolving goal competition is taxing. Unlike the top-down system that relies on an assumption of both structure and active executive management, the bottom-up system is flexible and self-organizing. The bottom-up and top-down perspectives may seem fairly similar to the dual process models discussed extensively in the cognitive and social psychology literature.
