Flourishing by Maureen Gaffney

Author:Maureen Gaffney [Gaffney, Maureen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141970493
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2011-09-29T04:00:00+00:00

Getting to the heart of motivation: Approach or avoidance

Having a positive purpose is related to having what is known as an ‘approach goal’.

Our basic motivation to do anything in life is either to approach a challenge or avoid it. Our primary purpose is either to seek success or avoid failure. For example, you get a job, or you fall in love. You can frame these events in an ‘approach’ way – motivating yourself by imagining the pleasure ahead. Or you can frame them in an ‘avoidance’ way – motivating yourself by imagining what might happen if you fail in the relationship or the job.

Which psychological stance you adopt has a major effect on what you do and how you feel.

An approach goal will focus your attention on what you can do to achieve your hopes, what opportunities you can set up to make it happen. You will pursue your goal with energy and eagerness. You will pay particular attention to any information that indicates whether you are succeeding or not. You will be most concerned to guard against errors of omission – things that you could have done that you didn’t.

An avoidance goal will focus your attention on what you should not do, in case it might end badly. So, you will pursue your goal with caution. Your state of mind will be vigilance rather than eagerness. You will pay particular attention to any signals that anything might be going wrong. You will be most concerned to guard against errors of commission – making mistakes or doing things you should not do.

Adopting an approach goal generally leads to greater persistence, especially after a setback or failure. It motivates you to make more effort to look for other ways to achieve your goal and to generate many different alternatives. Consequently, you have a much higher chance of achieving your goal in the long term. In contrast, an avoidance goal – precisely because your primary desire is to avoid making a mistake – inhibits your ability to persist after a setback or failure. You will be more inclined to stick to your initial strategy, rather than risk trying a new strategy. Your efforts will have a repetitive rather than an innovative quality, thus reducing your chances of succeeding in the long term.2

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