Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Goals and emotion

Goals and emotion:
What is the relationship between goals and emotion?

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Multimedia presentation (3 min)

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Overview

What if the emotions that challenge you are also the ones that drive you to greatness?

Scenario or case study

The Importance of Goals and Emotions

Goals influence emotional states by instilling expectations and emotional engagement in what is achieved. Emotions may either drive or hinder goal achievement, with good emotions increasing motivation and negative emotions possibly limiting development. Achieving academic goals increases pleasant feelings and self-esteem, but failing can cause negative emotions and diminished motivation. Positive emotions promote goal-directed conduct, whereas negative emotions can either inspire or impede development, depending on their severity. Understanding the relationship between objectives and emotions helps with goal-setting, emotional control and personal growth.

Physiological science provides critical insights into the connection between the body's physical processes and emotional emotions, which can help achieve goals. Individuals who understand the significance of neurotransmitters, hormones, and brain areas in emotional reactions might improve their motivation and stress management skills. Biofeedback, mind-body practices, and personalised therapies can help regulate emotions, sustain attention, and build resilience, all of which are necessary for achieving objectives. Furthermore, physiological research emphasises the significance of rest, recovery, and neuroplasticity in maintaining long-term development and adjusting to difficulties, resulting in more effective and personalised techniques for emotional regulation and goal achievement.

Focus questions: How do goals influence emotion? How do emotions affect goal pursuit? How can achieving or failing to achieve goals affect one's emotional state? What role do positive and negative emotions play in motivating goal-oriented behaviour?

Figure 1. Explore the topic, then brainstorm a structure. The Overview should start with an engaging scenario or case study which illustrates the problem and engages reader interest. Ideally, also include an image (e.g., see Figure 1). Present the scenario in a feature box. The feature box colour can be changed.

This template provides tips for the topic development exercise. Gradually remove these suggestions as the chapter develops. It is OK to retain some of this template content for the topic development exercise. Also consult the book chapter guidelines.

The Overview is typically consists of one to four paragraphs inbetween the scenario and focus questions. Suggested word count aim for the Overview: 180 to 330 words.

Suggestions for this section: Engage the reader with a scenario, example, or case study, and an accompanying image Explain the problem and why it is important Outline how psychological science can help Present focus questions

Headings

• Aim for three to six main headings in between the Overview and Conclusion
• Sub-headings can also be used, but
  • avoid having sections with only one sub-heading
  • provide an introductory paragraph before breaking into sub-sections

Figure 1. The SMART Goal framework for goal setting

Goal Setting

• Goal Setting fosters accountability and improves decision-making, while boosting self-confidence (Lunenburg, 2011).
• By establishing clear objectives, individuals can prioritise tasks, track progress, and enhance productivity (Reeve, 2018).
• They help in efficient time management and contribute to personal and professional development by encouraging the acquisition of new skills and overcoming challenges.
• SMART Goal Framework
• Using the SMART criteria ensures that goals are well-defined and feasible, enhancing the likelihood of successful outcomes (Bowman et al., 2015).

How Goals Influence Emotion

• Puente-Díaz (2013) found that goals can significantly influence emotions by shaping expectations, directing focus, and determining the outcomes that are emotionally significant to an individual.
• When a person sets a goal, they become emotionally invested in its outcome.
• The anticipation of achieving the goal can evoke positive emotions.
• Conversely, the possibility of failure can trigger anxiety, stress, or fear.
• This emotional investment creates a feedback loop where the progress toward the goal continuously influences one's emotional state.

How Emotions can Affect Goal Pursuit

• Findings of Benita et al. (2020) found that Integrative emotion regulation (IER) promotes goal pursuit but suppressive emotion regulation (SER) impedes it.
• Positive emotions, such as enthusiasm and optimism, often enhance motivation and persistence, making it easier to engage in goal-directed behaviors. These emotions can foster creativity, problem-solving, and resilience, which are crucial for overcoming obstacles (Benita et al., 2020).
• On the other hand, negative emotions like anxiety, frustration, or fear can have a dual effect. In some cases, these emotions can serve as a motivator, pushing individuals to work harder to avoid negative outcomes. However, when these emotions become overwhelming, they can impair decision-making, reduce focus, and lead to procrastination or even abandonment of the goal (Benita et al., 2020).

The Emotional Impact of Achieving or Failing to Achieve Goals

• Focusing on academic goals
• The findings revealed that achievement goals and academic emotions act as mediators between perceived teacher support and self-efficacy (Ren et al., 2022).
• Students who achieve their academic goals often experience heightened levels of satisfaction and confidence, which can further enhance their motivation to pursue future goals
• Ren et al. (2022) highlights that students who do not meet their academic objectives may experience a decline in self-esteem and increased stress, potentially leading to academic burnout or disengagement.

The Role of Positive and Negative Emotions in Motivating Goal-Oriented Behaviour

• Focusing on personal goals
• Positive emotions enhance one's resilience in the face of challenges, providing the mental and emotional energy needed to stay committed to long-term goals.
• Negative emotions, while often seen as detrimental, can also serve as potent motivators.
• Schroevers et al. (2008) discovered that goal reengagement as well as cognitive emotion-regulation strategies seems to play an important role in cancer patients’ psychological well-being.
• This can be supported with findings from (MacGeorge, 2001) who found that supportive communication can be explained by support providers’ goals

Key points

• Provide at least three bullet-points per headingʔ and sub-heading, including for the Overview and Conclusion
• Include key citations

Figures

Figure 2. Example of an image with a descriptive caption.

• Use figures to illustrate concepts, add interest, and to serve as examples
• Figures can show photos, diagrams, graphs, video, audio, etcetera
• Embed figures throughout the chapter, including the Overview section
• Figures should be captioned (using Figure #. and a caption). Use captions to explain the relevance of the image to the text/
• Wikimedia Commons provides a library of embeddable images
• Images can also be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons if they are openly licensed
• Refer to each figure at least once in the main text (e.g., see Figure 2)

Learning features

Interactive learning features help to bring online book chapters to life and can be embedded throughout the chapter.

Scenarios

• Scenarios or case studies describe applied/real-world examples of concepts in action
• Case studies can be real or fictional
• A case study could be split into multiple boxes throughout a chapter (e.g., to illustrate different theories or stages)
• It is often helpful to present case studies using feature boxes.

Feature boxes

• Important content can be highlighted in a feature box. But don't overuse feature boxes, otherwise they lose their effect.
• Consider using feature boxes for:
  • Scenarios, case studies, or examples
  • Focus questions
  • Tips
  • Quiz questions
  • Take-home messages

Links

• When key words are introduced, use interwiki links to:
  • Wikipedia (e.g., Sigmund Freud wrote about (e.g., dreams) or
  • Related book chapters (e.g., writer's block)

Tables

• Use to organise and summarise information
• As with figures, tables should be captioned
• Refer to each table at least once in the main text (e.g., see Table 1)
• Example 3 x 3 tables which could be adapted

Table 1. Descriptive Caption Which Explains The Table and its Relevant to the Text - Johari Window Model

	Known to self	Not known to self
Known to others	Open area	Blind spot
Not known to others	Hidden area	Unknown

Quizzes

• Using one or two review questions per major section is usually better than a long quiz at the end
• Quiz conceptual understanding, rather than trivia
• Don't make quizzes too hard
• Different types of quiz questions are possible; see Quiz

Example simple quiz questions. Choose your answers and click "Submit":

Check your learning!

1 Goals provide clear expectations and increase motivation, influencing emotional states:

	True
	False

2 Positive emotions decrease motivation and persistence in goal pursuit:

	True
	False

Conclusion

• The Conclusion is arguably the most important section
• Suggested word count: 150 to 330 words
• It should be possible for someone to only read the Overview and the Conclusion and still get a pretty good idea of the problem and what is known based on psychological science

Suggestions for this section: What is the answer to the sub-title question based on psychological theory and research? What are the answers to the focus questions? What are the practical, take-home messages? (Even for the topic development, have a go at the likely take-home message)

See also

Provide internal (wiki) links to the most relevant Wikiversity pages (esp. related motivation and emotion book chapters) and Wikipedia articles. Use these formats:

• Light triad (Book chapter, 2021)
• Collaborative authoring using wiki (Wikiversity)
• Self determination theory (Wikipedia)

Suggestions for this section: Present in alphabetical order Use sentence casing Include the source in parentheses

References

Benita, M., Shechter, T., Nudler‐Muzikant, S., & Arbel, R. (2020). Emotion regulation during personal goal pursuit: Integration versus suppression of emotions. Journal of Personality, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12599

Bowman, J., Mogensen, L., Marsland, E., & Lannin, N. (2015). The development, content validity and inter-rater reliability of the SMART-Goal evaluation method: A standardised method for evaluating clinical goals. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 62(6), 420–427. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12218

Izard, C. E. (2019). Emotion Theory and Research: Highlights, Unanswered Questions, and Emerging Issues. Annual Review of Psychology, 60(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163539

Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Goal-Setting Theory of Motivation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, and ADMINISTRATION, 15(1).

MacGeorge, E. (2001). Support providers’ interaction goals: the influence of attributions and emotions. Communication Monographs, 68(1), 72–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750128050

Puente-Díaz, R. (2013). Achievement Goals and Emotions. The Journal of Psychology, 147(3), 245–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2012.683893

Reeve, J. M. (2018). Understanding motivation and emotion (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ren, X., Jing, B., Li, H., & Wu, C. (2022). The impact of perceived teacher support on Chinese junior high school students’ academic self-efficacy: The mediating roles of achievement goals and academic emotions. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1028722

Schroevers, M., Kraaij, V., & Garnefski, N. (2008). How do cancer patients manage unattainable personal goals and regulate their emotions/. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13(3), 551–562. https://doi.org/10.1348/135910707x241497

Suggestions for this section: Important aspects of APA style for references include: Wrap the set of references in the hanging indent template. Use "Edit source": {{Hanging indent|1= the full list of references}} Author surname, followed by a comma, then the author initials separated by full stops and spaces Year of publication in parentheses Title of work in lower case except first letter and proper names, ending in a full-stop Journal title in italics, volume number in italics, issue number in parentheses, first and last page numbers separated by an en-dash(–), followed by a full-stop Provide the full doi as a URL and working hyperlink The most common mistakes include: Incorrect capitalisation Incorrect italicisation Citing sources that weren't read or consulted

External links

Provide external links to highly relevant resources such as presentations, news articles, and professional sites. Use sentence casing. For example:

• Six top tips for writing a great essay (University of Melbourne)
• The importance of structure (skillsyouneed.com)

Suggestions for this section: Only select links to major external resources about the topic Present in alphabetical order Include the source in parentheses after the link