Unconflicted Goal Striving: Goal Ambivalence as a Mediator Between Goal Self-Concordance and Well-Being

This research introduces low goal ambivalence as a relevant correlate of goal self-concordance. In three studies, we tested the hypothesis that university freshmen's ambivalence toward the goal of completing their degree mediates the effect of goal self-concordance on subjective well-being. In Studies 1 and 2, differences in goal ambivalence accounted for effects of goal self-concordance on concurrent life satisfaction and affect at the end of the freshman year. Study 3 evidenced a longitudinal mediation effect of goal ambivalence on 1-year post-entry increases in life and study satisfaction, which were explained through perceptions of goal progress at the end of the freshman year. Decomposing self-concordance into autonomous and controlled motivation revealed non-redundant parallel effects for both subcomponents. These results point to ambivalence as a significant experience in goal pursuit and suggest that it represents an additional explanatory variable in the self-concordance model of goal striving and longitudinal well-being.