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Goal orientations and the search for confirmatory affect
W D McIntosh1, L L Martin, J B Jones
1Department of Psychology, Georgia Southern University, USA.
The Journal of Psychology
|March 10, 2001
Summary
People differ in how they view goal achievement. "Linkers" focus on outcomes and negative emotions, while "nonlinkers" prioritize actions and positive emotions, influencing their emotional responses to different stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Affective Science
Background:
- Individuals differ in their beliefs about goal attainment and happiness.
- Some people ('linkers') link happiness to goal achievement.
- Others ('nonlinkers') base happiness on the quality of actions, not outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different beliefs about goal attainment influence emotional responses.
- To explore whether 'linkers' and 'nonlinkers' seek different types of affective information.
Main Methods:
- Participants were categorized as 'linkers' or 'nonlinkers' based on their goal-happiness beliefs.
- Emotional responses were measured after exposure to either sad or happy video stimuli.
Main Results:
- 'Linkers' reported more negative affect to sad stimuli but no difference in positive affect.
- 'Nonlinkers' reported more positive affect to happy stimuli but no difference in negative affect.
Conclusions:
- Emotional information seeking differs between individuals focused on goal outcomes versus action enjoyment.
- Affective responses are modulated by whether individuals link happiness to goal attainment or the process itself.