Citation

Verschuren A, Douilliez C. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 2024; 56(2): 93-101.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Canadian Psychological Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1037/cbs0000360

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Goal adjustment is an important mechanism of self-construction. When pursuing goals, people are sometimes confronted with situations in which goals are unreachable and they need to adjust by disengaging from them and reengaging in alternative goals. A growing literature suggests that people's capacity to adjust when confronted with unattainable goals is associated with subjective well-being. The main purpose of this study was to examine whether goal disengagement, goal reengagement, and their interaction are associated with depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and satisfaction with life (SWLQ). A supplementary purpose was to examine the factorial structure and psychometric properties of a French version of the goal adjustment scale (GAS; Wrosch, Scheier, Miller, et al., 2003). One hundred and seventy-five adult volunteers completed measures of flexible goal adjustment, depression, anxiety, and SWLQ. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable model fit, good internal consistency, and convergent validity for the GAS. Goal disengagement is associated with depression and anxiety symptomatology, whereas reengagement is associated with life satisfaction. The interaction between disengagement and reengagement appeared to be significant in predicting anxiety but not depression and life satisfaction. The two processes of goal adjustment should be further explored jointly to better understand their effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en