Self-regulation through goal setting

Arbeitspapier

Goals are an important source of motivation. But little is known about why and how people set them. We address these questions in a model based on two stylized facts from psychology and behavioral economics: i) Goals serve as reference points for performance. ii) Present-biased preferences create self-control problems. We show how goals permit self-regulation, but also that they are painful self-disciplining devices. Greater self-control problems therefore lead to stronger self-regulation through goals only up to a certain point. For severely present-biased preferences, the required goal for self-regulation is too painful and the individual rather gives up.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 3893

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines ; Game Theory and Bargaining Theory: General ; Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡
• Subject: Goals ; self-control ; motivation ; time inconsistency ; psychology ; Leistungsmotivation ; Persönlichkeitspsychologie ; Verhaltensökonomik ; Präferenztheorie ; Zeitkonsistenz ; Theorie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Koch, Alexander K. ; Nafziger, Julia
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2008

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/35341
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-20081219153
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET