ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Imposing personalities

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Lecture contents

• Subjective Expected Utility

• Goal theory

• Self-discrepancy theory

• The origin and development of goals

• Personal strivings

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Subjective Expected Utility (SEU)

• Edward Tolman Impressed with “persistence until” nature of action. Suggestive of expectancies that persistence will lead to

valued outcomes.

• Julian Rotter Behaviour potential (likelihood of performance) is a

function of (subjective) expectancy (expected consequences) and (subjective) reinforcement value (of those consequences).

Consequence probability and value to be calculated for each possible behaviour.

Most research looks at choice among a limited number of action options.

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Goal theory

1. Goals and plans Goals: persistent, valued, possible, necessary Plans: instrumental, contingent

2. The A(?)BC of goal-motivated behaviour Cognitive representation of plans and goals, plus Expectation that goal attainment will be valuable

Expectation is a cognition.

– (Rewarding/valuable) Goal necessarily affective?

– Affect necessary as a cause of ertia? Behaviour potential.

3. Goals occur in systems

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Means and Ends

• Pham & Taylor (1999) Mental simulation of ‘good process,’ ‘good outcome,’ both, or

neither. Including ‘process’ improved hours studying and studying

intention-behaviour deficit. Sole outcome focus worsened exam score.

• Important jargon Multidetermination

Goals interact to produce single outcomes.

Equipotentiality The same goal may be satisfied in various ways.

Equifinality Different goals can be satisfied by the same outcome.

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Motivation from goals and progress evaluationBandura & Cervone (1983)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Goals andfeedback

Goals Feedback Control

Effortincrease (%)

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Motivation from dissatisfaction and efficacyBandura & Cervone (1983)

0102030405060708090

100

Diss & Eff Diss &~Eff

~Diss &~Eff

~Diss &Eff

Effortincrease (%)

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Where do goals come from?

• Hedonism

• Classical and operant conditioning

• Functional autonomy

• Choice

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Emmon’s personal strivings

• Form coherent patterns of goals.

• Goals may be domain-specific, e.g., pleasant in social interactions.

• Striving (clusters) and their expression is idiographic.

• Some striving content is nomothetic. E.g., Achievement, autonomy, affiliation.

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Assessment of personal strivings

• Open-ended self-report of goals and execution attempts.

• Rate top 15 strivings on various dimensions, e.g., valence.

• Factor analysis of dimension scores: Degree of striving (e.g., value, importance, commitment) Ease (e.g., opportunity, difficulty) Success (e.g., past attainment, probability of success)

• Pairwise comparison of strivings’ compatibility.

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

Personal striving and SWB (Emmons, 1986)

Positive affect from… Actual achievement of valued goals. Continued progress towards valued goals.

Negative affect from… Conflict (co-present but oppositely valenced goals). Ambivalence (success is a mixed belssing). Anticipated failure.

Life satisfaction from… Anticipated success. Having important goals. Having goals that facilitate affiliation.

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)

What will satisfy you? McGregor & Little (1998)

Happiness (affect) - From efficacy ‘usually exuberant and enthusiastic’ ‘life to me seems always exciting’ ‘every day is constantly new and different’ ‘life is full of exciting good things’ ‘am achieving life goals’

Meaning (Life satisfaction) - From integrity ‘have very clear goals and aims in life’ ‘clear goals and a satisfying life purpose’ ‘find meaning, purpose, and mission in life’

ATP: PAID, Lecture 8: Imposing personalities Tom Farsides (SOC)