Mixed emotions within the context of goal pursuit

Abstract

Development in adulthood occurs through the process of setting and working toward goals. Emotions link experiences to goals and action, and as such are integral to goal setting, evaluation of goal progress, and goal pursuit. When viewed in the context of goals, the simultaneous experience of positive and negative or “mixed” emotions coheres with the complexity of goal pursuit within the context of competing demands in daily life. Mixed emotions may be experienced as uncertainty in which goal to prioritize, ambiguity in whether an event served or impeded goal progress, or poignancy in a bittersweet moment of recognizing the losses that accompany gains. Mixed emotions therefore represent a problem that must be resolved—through either prioritization of conflicting goals, down-playing negative affective response, or goal disengagement—before goal pursuit can continue. Because mixed emotions must be resolved before they can be translated to action, the experience of mixed emotions may evoke a new awareness of priorities and available options that leads to better goal outcomes. Over time, openness to mixed emotions could result in outcomes such as better health and self-actualization.

The Hedonic Character of Nostalgia: An Integrative Data Analysis

“…Research on the psychological functions of nostalgia dovetails with the demonstrated benefits of emotional ambivalence. Ambivalent affect could influence cognitive flexibility (Mejía & Hooker, 2017; Rothman & Melwani, 2017). Ambivalent affect facilitates contradictory appraisals of a situation (e.g., certain and uncertain, under control and not under control).…”

“…Ambivalent affect facilitates contradictory appraisals of a situation (e.g., certain and uncertain, under control and not under control). This, in turn, may activate a wider range of (atypical) information, give awareness to new priorities, and encourage the pursuit of novel options (Mejía & Hooker, 2017; Rothman & Melwani, 2017). Indeed, emotional ambivalence (e.g., recalling an event such as a graduation) fosters creativity (Fong, 2006).…”

Bittersweet: The Neuroscience of Ambivalent Affect

“…The perception of conflict may be a crucial element in the unique experience of ambivalent affective states, distinguishing them from a simple sum of two simultaneous experiences (Berrios, Totterdell, & Kellett, 2015; Mejia & Hooker, 2017; Schulte, Maderwald, Kraemer, & Brand, 2012). Insula and OFC projections to lateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate regions likely contribute to the experience of conflict.…”

Mixed Emotions, but Not Positive or Negative Emotions, Facilitate Legitimate Virus-Prevention Behaviors and Eudaimonic Outcomes in the Emergence of the COVID-19 Crisis

“…However, an alternative view of mixed emotions, which we term the conflict perspective, suggests that mixed emotions are conflicting and agonizing states (Mejía & Hooker, 2017;van Harreveld et al, 2009) that are linked to negative traits, negative life events, and negative emotionality (Barford et al, 2020;Barford & Smillie, 2016;Hui et al, 2009). Indeed, some evidence suggests that mixed emotions could be linked to motivational and behavioral avoidance (Durso et al, 2016;van Harreveld et al, 2015) and could have negative implications for self-esteem and well-being (Newman et al, 2019).…”