Underlying all of these goals, though, is motivation, or the psychological driving force that enables action in the pursuit of that goal (Lewin, 1935). This desired end state of a goal can be clearly defined (e.g., stepping on the surface of Mars), or it can be more abstract and represent a state that is never fully completed (e.g., eating healthy).

GoalsĪ goal is the cognitive representation of a desired state, or, in other words, our mental idea of how we’d like things to turn out (Fishbach & Ferguson 2007 Kruglanski, 1996).

To understand how we can better attain our goals, let’s begin with defining what a goal is and what underlies it, psychologically. But even with “mundane” goals, like getting food from the grocery store, or showing up to work on time, we are often enacting the same psychological processes involved with achieving loftier dreams. But what if that didn’t have to be the case? What if every time we made a goal, we actually accomplished it? Each day, our behaviour is the result of countless goals - maybe not goals in the way we think of them, like lifting the heaviest weights or being the first person to land on Mars. As much as we know our lives would improve if we actually achieved these goals, people quite often don’t follow through. Consumer Motivation and Involvement 13 Needs, Wants, and GoalsĮvery New Year, many of us make resolutions - or goals - that eventually go unsatisfied: eat healthier pay better attention in class volunteer, exercise more.

Utilitarian vs hedonic