How Do People Judge Meaning in Goal-Directed Behaviors: The Interplay Between Self-Concordance and Performance

Abstract

Perceived performance and self-concordance are two sources of information people may utilize to judge meaning in goal-directed behaviors. We contend that either variable can adequately support the presence of meaning, even in the absence of the other. This perspective suggests that non-self-concordant goal pursuits can feel meaningful as long as one feels successful at the goals, and that failed goal pursuits can feel meaningful as long as they are self-concordant. Five studies investigated this potential interaction between performance and self-concordance. As hypothesized, we found a negative interactive pattern such that meaning was maintained when either performance or self-concordance was high. This interactive effect held true for the experience of meaning in personal goals (Studies 1 and 2), courses (Study 3), and work (Studies 4 and 5). This interactive pattern did not emerge when the outcome variable was either positive affect or job satisfaction, suggesting this compensation process was somewhat unique to meaning.

Understanding the Relationship Between Perceived Authenticity and Well-Being

“…For example, Kim et al (2017) found that self-alienation (i.e., feeling divorced from one’s true self) and academic amotivation (not knowing why one is pursuing academic goals) are strongly linked. Results indicated a robust relationship between self-alienation and amotivation, even after controlling for a host of known predictors of academic motivation, including need satisfaction, self-efficacy, grit, and self-esteem, suggesting that feeling in touch with the true self is uniquely important to seeing the meaning in one’s goals (see also Zhang, Chen, & Schlegel, 2018).…”

“…Specifically, Davis and Hicks (2013) found that individuals high in perceived authenticity reported increased desire to achieve their goals regardless of how much time they perceived they had left to achieve their goals. Perceived authenticity may foster resilience by making setbacks seem less burdensome (Zhang, Chen, & Schlegel, 2018). This is consistent with the identity-based motivation model (Oyserman, 2007, 2009), which posits that people are motivated to engage in goal-relevant behavior in the face of difficulty if a currently activated identity is considered a core (i.e., authentic) part of the self (Oyserman & Destin, 2010).…”

“…As noted throughout the article, there is some concern that subjective reports of authenticity lack validity to the extent that they fail to correlate with consistency-based indicators of authenticity (Fleeson & Wilt, 2010) and are contaminated by valence (Christy et al, 2016; Fleeson & Wilt, 2010; Jongman-Sereno & Leary, 2016; Zhang et al, 2018) and positive mood (Lenton et al, 2013). Further empirical investigations are clearly needed to more fully flesh out the nature of subjective authenticity and where it comes from.…”

Interrupting the crossover effect of leader's role overload on employee's negative affect: the moderating role of self-concordance goal

“…Previous research has offered low Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of self-concordance goal (Koletzko et al, 2015) and most studies did not compute the Cronbach's alpha (e.g. Sheldon et al, 2017;Zhang et al, 2018). Moreover, it is indicated that the reliability problems are not of concern for self-concordance goal (Bono and Judge, 2003;Sheldon et al, 2017), because self-concordance goal is a difference score that may be calculated from uncorrelated or slightly negatively correlated items (Bono and Judge, 2003;Sheldon et al, 2017).…”

Feelings of Parental Authenticity Moderate Concurrent Links Between Breastfeeding Experience and Symptoms of Postpartum Depression

“…For example, the relation between loneliness and depressive symptoms is moderated by perceived authenticity, such that individuals who feel highly authentic are less impacted by the negative effects of loneliness (19). Though there are differing views on why perceived authenticity may relate to resilience, one idea that is relevant to breastfeeding difficulties is that perceived authenticity may make setbacks seem less burdensome (20). This is consistent with the identitybased motivation model (21,22), which posits that when a behavior feels identity-consistent, difficulties are more likely to be interpreted as a challenge and opportunity to grow as opposed to signals of one's inability in that domain.…”