When and how does anger during goal pursuit relate to goal achievement? The roles of persistence and action planning

Abstract

When and how does anger during goal pursuit relate to goal achievement? The roles of persistence and action planning Schmitt, Antje; Gielnik, Michael M.; Seibel, Sebastian Citation for published version (APA): Schmitt, A., Gielnik, M. M., & Seibel, S. (2019). When and how does anger during goal pursuit relate to goal achievement? The roles of persistence and action planning. Motivation and Emotion, 43(2), 205-217. AbstractAnger is a fundamental negative activating state that may occur in the process of goal pursuit when goals are blocked or frustrated. We investigate when and why anger during goal pursuit may positively or negatively relate to goal achievement. Drawing upon action regulation theory and the literature on affective consequences, we develop and test a moderated mediation model in which persistence functions as a mediator of the relationship between anger and goal achievement and this mediation is moderated by action planning. We tested the model in two correlational field studies (Study 1, N = 197; Study 2, N = 110). Our analyses supported the general model. Across both studies, self-reported anger during goal pursuit is negatively related to later goal achievement through a decrease in persistence when participants' action planning is low. When action planning was reported to be high, anger was unrelated to persistence and goal achievement. Our results highlight the value of integrating action regulatory processes when discussing the relationships between affective states and goal achievement.

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“…It may be that if goal commitment is low, inability to engage in goal-directed behavior will not trigger negative emotional activation. Indeed, previous research demonstrated that the association between anger and goal pursuit is mediated by “persistence to engage in achieving goals” and moderated by “action planning” (Schmitt et al, 2019), indicating that the relationship between goal-directed behavior and anger may be indirect.…”

The Role of Dispositional Optimism, Upward and Downward Counterfactual Thinking towards Student Persistence in Joining Competitions

“…Other scholars also found internal factors determining persistence such as self-motivation; motivation to meet basic psychological needs (need for power, competence, and relations) (Calvo et al, 2010). Others reported constructive anger against barriers to success, which was moderated by effective planning of goals (Schmitt et al, 2019) and optimism (Adomako et al, 2016;Carver et al, 2010;Icekson et al, 2014;Tenney et al, 2015) to also determine persistence.…”

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