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Motiv Emot (2010) 34:325332 DOI 10.1007/s11031-010-9190-9
ORIGINAL PAPER
Letting go of unmet goals: Does self-focused rumination impair goal disengagement?
Annette van Randenborgh Joachim Hffmeier
Joelle LeMoult Jutta Joormann
Published online: 25 September 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract Self-regulation of behavior frequently requires that people disengage from goals that are too difcult to attain. The current studies investigate whether self-focused rumination hinders the execution of this crucial self-regulatory competence. In study one, participants attempted to solve anagrams, some of which were unsolvable, and their predisposition to engage in self-focused rumination was assessed. The tendency to ruminate was associated with getting stuck in the attempt to solve unsolvable anagrams. In study two, ruminative thoughts were manipulated by asking participants to focus on their self, personality, and goals in life, a task frequently employed to induce rumi-nation. Compared to participants undergoing a distraction induction, ruminating participants were more likely to get stuck trying to solve unsolvable anagrams. These results suggest that self-focused rumination hinders disengagement from unattainable goals.
Keywords Rumination Goal disengagement
Self-regulation Goals
Persistence and endurance are valued virtues in western societies. In contrast, abandoning a goal has the stigma of failure (e.g., Seligman 1975). However, we cannot always
get what we want in life. Some goals we have set may turn out to be unattainable or a disadvantageous match between costs and benets of goal attainment may emerge (Tan and Yates 2002). In other situations, a goal may loose its attractiveness with changing life circumstances. It is therefore critical that we learn how to disengage from goals that are no longer worth being pursued (e.g., Miller and Wrosch 2007). Supporting this view, the ability to disengage from unattainable goals has been shown to promote well-being and general health and to reduce depressive symptoms (Martin et al. 1993; Rasmussen et al. 2006; Wrosch et al. 2007). Likewise, there is evidence that a lack of goal disengagement is associated with depression (Kuhl and Helle 1986; Nolen-Hoeksema et al. 1994). Given the links among goal disengagement, adaptive functioning, and risk for emotional disorders, research examining factors that help and hinder disengagement is clearly needed (Lench and Levine 2008; Wrosch et al. 2003). The current studies investigate a mechanism that may prevent goal disengagement, namely self-focused rumination.
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