Values-Affirmation As a Means of Reducing Threat Experienced While Setting Goals

Despite demonstrated effectiveness, goal-setting continues to be underutilized. This may be due, in part, to the contrast effect between one’s current vs. desired self that goal-setting arouses, which could cause defensive disengagement from goal-setting. Using a values-affirmation intervention to reduce defensive disengagement, we theorized we could increase effective goal-setting behavior.