CONSEQUENCES OF SELF-IMAGE AND COMPASSIONATE GOALS

Interpersonal goals are a key mechanism through which people and their social environments influence each other. Two goals-self-image and compassionate goals-the motivational systems that energize these goals, their measurement, and how they relate to other constructs in the literature are described. Results of three longitudinal studies of first-year college students suggest that when people have self-image goals-that is, when they try to manage the impressions others have of them-they create a cascade of unintended negative consequences for both themselves and others. In contrast, when people try to contribute to the well-being of other people, they create a cascade of positive consequences for both themselves and others. Over time, for better or worse, by changing what they experience, people actually change themselves-the beliefs they hold and their goals, self-esteem, and even dispositional tendencies. We describe a variety of processes through which people's interpersonal goals shape their own and others' experience and raise several remaining issues for this program of research.