Don’t Tell Me What to Do: Highly Restrictive Goals Promote Temptation Indulgence

SAGE Open

Steven G. Buzinski¹ 

关键词: self-control;    reactance;    goals;    motivation;    temptations;   

DOI  :  10.1177/2158244015602751

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

Self-control is required when the pursuit of focal goals conficts with the desire to indulge in temptations. As such, the characteristics of one’s focal goals may influence the likelihood of their attainment. The present work explored the hypothesis that highly restrictive goals increase the desire for, and the likelihood of indulging in, goal-damaging temptations. Highly restrictive goals can engender psychological reactance, a motivation to restore threatened freedom, by placing salient restrictions on the freedom to indulge in temptations. Consequently, one may indulge in those temptations in order to restore the threatened sense of freedom. Three experiments supported this hypothesis: Framing goals as highly restrictive caused greater desire for (Studies 1 and 2), and more behavioral indulgence in (Study 3), goal-damaging temptations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY