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theses

Goal pursuit is often difficult, especially in the face of obstacles and temptations. Previous research has suggested that people are more likely to act in line with their goals when the goals are rooted deeply within the self-concept, or are more “central” to one’s identity. Though past research has demonstrated a relationship between goal-centrality and effective goal pursuit, no research to date has tried to manipulate goal-centrality or test its effectiveness during real-time self-control dilemmas. In the domain of health and fitness, the present work manipulates perceptions of goal-centrality and tests the influence of goal-centrality on processes involved in subsequent self-control decisions. I hypothesized that increasing perceptions of goal-centrality would lead to healthier and more automatic self-control decisions. In Study 1, I found that participants in the high-centrality condition made healthier food choices than participants in the low-centrality condition but took longer to make their decisions. In a second correlational study, I tested the relationship between measured goal-centrality and self-control outcomes. Contrary to Study 1, the results suggested goal-centrality led to healthier choices through automaticity in self-control (i.e., faster choice responses). In addition, goal centrality was associated with stronger motivations to approach goals and avoid temptations. Together, this research explores the outcomes and processes linking goal-identification with goal-directed behaviors and reveals conflicting evidence for the role of goal-centrality in processes related to effective self-control.

ETD_8449

M.S.

Includes bibliographical references

by Janna R. Kline

doi:10.7282/T3HQ4316

ETD graduate

The author owns the copyright to this work.