On the selection and balancing of multiple selfish goals

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• The selfish goal metaphor offers an alternative framework for understanding human goal pursuit.
• It explains inconsistencies without recourse to concepts like free will or self-control failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the theoretical and practical value of the selfish goal model.
• To integrate principles of dynamic goal selection and balancing into the existing framework.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and theoretical integration.
• Argumentation based on existing literature on goal pursuit.

Main Results:

• The selfish goal metaphor effectively accounts for goal pursuit idiosyncrasies.
• The model's utility is limited by the lack of specified mechanisms for managing multiple, simultaneous goals.

Conclusions:

• Specifying and integrating principles of moment-to-moment goal selection and balancing will significantly advance the selfish goal metaphor.
• This integration promises greater theoretical depth and practical applicability in understanding complex human motivation.