ABSTRACT
Children are encouraged to devise plans for many situations they have yet to encounter or may never encounter. As individuals move from childhood to adulthood, and the amount of guidance they receive from socializing agents decreases, they must rely more and more on their own plans and planning abilities for dealing with everyday situations. Health communication researchers have devoted increasing energy to studying various communication issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS outbreak. The videotapes were also scored for the specificity of AIDS-related information obtained by the information seekers. A rudimentary plan for dealing with social situations in which a goal or goals seem unattainable at the present time is simply to wait until the conditions seem to be more favorable for pursuing the goal or goals. The initial goals, plans, beliefs, and affective states of individuals with whom one interacts while attempting to achieve focal goals may be discrepant with planners’ expectations.
