The Role of Implizit Theories in the Self-Regulation of Goal Setting

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Gabriele Oettingen
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2007 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 50541077

• Final Report Year: 2013

Final Report Abstract

People with an incremental view use more future focused self-regulation strategies (mental contrasting and indulging) and fewer reality-focused strategies (dwelling and reverse contrasting) when thinking about important wishes than people with an entity view. Furthermore, regarding the effects of the four strategies on the expectancy-goal pursuit link in incremental versus entity theorists, mental contrasting produced expectancy-dependent energization immediately after the mental exercise in incremental but not in entity theorists. When it comes to actual goal attainment over time however, mental contrasting was equally effective in creating expectancydependent goal pursuit in incremental and entity theorist alike. Results underline the importance of attending to personal factors when investigating the self-regulation strategies in the process of goal pursuit.

Publications

• (2009). Fantasies and motivationally intelligent goal setting. In: G. B. Moskowitz & H. Grant (Eds.), The psychology of goals (pp. 153-178). New York: Guilford Press
  Oettingen, G., & Stephens, E. J.
  
• (2009). Kluges Zielsetzen durch Mentales Kontrastieren von Zukunft und Realität [Prudence in setting goals: Mental contrasting of future and reality]. In: T. Iwers-Stelljes (Ed.), Prävention – Intervention – Konfliktlösung [Prevention-interventionconflict resolution] (pp. 215-227). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
  Oettingen, G., & Kluge, L.
  
• (2011). Implicit theories moderate the relation of positive future fantasies to academic outcomes. Journal of Research in Personality, 45, 269-278
  Kappes, H. B., Stephens, E. J., & Oettingen, G.
  
• (2012, May). Implicit theories influence the choice of self-regulation strategies of goal pursuit. 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL
  Kluge, L., Sevincer, A. T., Weinstein, N., & Oettingen, G.
  
• (2012, May). Mental contrasting: Smart self-regulation in the face of ego-depletion. 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL
  Schlier, B., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G.
  
• (2012, May). Positive future fantasies in cultural products predict economic recession. 24th Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL
  Wagner, G., Kalvelage, J., Sevincer, A. T., & Oettingen, G.
  
• (2013, January). A silver lining of self-concept: Regulatory consequences of a lay belief that associates impulsivity and creativity. 14th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, LA
  Wesnousky, A. E., Oettingen, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M.