Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Enhancing Well-Being with Psychology361ENHANCING WELL-BEING WITH PSYCHOLOGYTurning Your Goals into RealityMost people can identify different aspects of their lives they’dlike to change. Identifying goals we’d like to achieve is usuallyeasy. Successfully accomplishing these goals is the tricky part.Fortunately, psychological research has identified several strategiesand suggestions that can help you get motivated, act, andachieve your goals.Self-Efficacy: Optimistic Beliefs About Your CapabilitiesYour motivation to strive for achievement is closely linked towhat you believe about your ability to produce the necessary ordesired results in a situation. This is what psychologist AlbertBandura (1997, 2006) calls self-efficacy—the degree to whichyou are convinced of your ability to effectively meet thedemands of a particular situation.Bandura (1997, 2006) has found that if you have an optimisticsense of self-efficacy, you will approach a difficult task as a challengeto be mastered. You will also exert strong motivational effort,persist in the face of obstacles, and look for creative ways to overcomeobstacles. If you see yourself as competent and capable, youare more likely to strive for higher personal goals (Bayer &Gollwitzer, 2007; Wood & Bandura, 1991).People tend to avoid challenging situations or tasks that theybelieve exceed their capabilities (Bandura, 1989a). If self-doubtsoccur, motivation quickly dwindles because the task is perceivedas too difficult and threatening. So how do you build your senseof self-efficacy, especially in situations in which your confidenceis shaky?According to Bandura (1991, 2006), the most effective wayto strengthen your sense of self-efficacy is through masteryexperiences—experiencing success at moderately challengingtasks in which you have to overcome obstacles and persevere. Asyou tackle a challenging task, you should strive for progressiveimprovement rather than perfection on your first attempt.Understand that setbacks serve a useful purpose in teaching thatsuccess usually requires sustained effort. If you experienced onlyeasy successes, you’d be more likely to become disappointedand discouraged, and to abandon your efforts when you didexperience failure (Miceli & Castelfranchi, 2000).A second strategy is social modeling, or observational learning.In some situations, the motivation to succeed is present, butyou lack the knowledge of exactly how to achieve your goals. Insuch circumstances, it can be helpful to observe and imitate thebehavior of someone who is already competent at the task youwant to master (Bandura, 1986, 1990). For example, if you’renot certain how to prepare effectively for a test or a class presentation,talk with fellow students who are successful in doingthis. Ask how they study and what they do when they have difficultyunderstanding material. Knowing what works is often thecritical element in ensuring success.Implementation Intentions: Turning Goals into ActionsSuppose your sense of self-efficacy is strong, but you still havetrouble putting your intentions into action. For example, haveyou ever made a list of New Year’s resolutions and looked backat it six months later? If you’re like most people, you’ll wonderwhat went wrong.How can you bridge the gap between good intentions andeffective, goal-directed behavior? German psychologist PeterGollwitzer (1999) points out that many people have troubleinitiating the actions required to fulfill their goals and then persistingin these behaviors until the goals are achieved. Gollwitzerand his colleagues (2008) have identified some simple yet effectivetechniques that help people translate their good intentionsinto actual behavior.Step 1: Form a goal intention.This step involves translating vague, general intentions (“I’m goingto do my best”) into a specific, concrete, and binding goal. Expressthe specific goal in terms of “I intend to achieve _______ ,” fillingin the blank with the particular behavior or outcome that you wishto achieve. For example, suppose you made a New Year’s resolutionto exercise more regularly. Transform that general goal into amuch more specific goal intention, such as “I intend to go to aerobicsclass three times a week.” Forming the specific goal intentionenhances your sense of personal commitment to the goal,and it also heightens your sense of obligation to realize the goal.Step 2: Create implementation intentions.This step involves making a specific plan for turning your goodintention into reality. The trick is to specify exactly where, when,and how you will carry out your intended behavior. Mentallylink the intended behaviors to specific situational cues, such assaying, “After my psychology class, I will go to the campus athleticcenter and attend the noon aerobics class in Room 201.”By linking the behavior to specific situational cues, you’re morelikely to initiate the goal behavior when the critical situation isencountered (Oettingen & Gollwitzer, 2001). The ultimate goalself-efficacyThe degree to which a person is convinced of his or her ability toeffectively meet the demands of a particular situation.© 1995 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. Roz Chast.