Division of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GB, UK.
J Abnorm Psychol. 2011 Nov;120(4):975-80. doi: 10.1037/a0023665. Epub 2011 May 9.
Despite its theoretical importance, personal goal motivation has rarely been examined in clinical depression. Here we investigate whether clinically depressed persons (n = 23) differ from never-depressed persons (n = 26) on number of freely generated approach and avoidance goals, appraisals of these goals, and reasons why these goals would and would not be achieved. Participants listed approach and avoidance goals separately and generated explanations for why they would (pro) and would not (con) achieve their most important approach and avoidance goals, before rating the importance, likelihood, and perceived control of goal outcomes. Counter to hypothesis, depressed persons did not differ from never-depressed controls on number of approach or avoidance goals, or on the perceived importance of these goals. However, compared to never-depressed controls, depressed individuals gave lower likelihood judgments for desirable approach goal outcomes, tended to give higher likelihood judgments for undesirable to-be-avoided goal outcomes, and gave lower ratings of their control over goal outcomes. Furthermore, although controls generated significantly more pro than con reasons for goal achievement, depressed participants did not. These results suggest that depressed persons do not lack valued goals but are more pessimistic about their likelihood, controllability, and reasons for successful goal attainment.
尽管个人目标动机具有重要的理论意义，但在临床抑郁症中很少对其进行研究。在这里，我们研究了患有临床抑郁症的人（n = 23）是否与从未患过抑郁症的人（n = 26）在自由生成的接近和回避目标的数量、对这些目标的评价以及实现这些目标的原因和不实现这些目标的原因方面存在差异。在对目标结果的重要性、可能性和感知控制进行评分之前，参与者分别列出了接近和回避目标，并为为什么他们会（赞成）和不会（反对）实现最重要的接近和回避目标生成了解释。与假设相反，抑郁患者在接近或回避目标的数量上，或在这些目标的感知重要性上，与从未患过抑郁症的对照组没有差异。然而，与从未患过抑郁症的对照组相比，抑郁个体对理想的接近目标结果的可能性判断较低，对不理想的回避目标结果的可能性判断较高，对目标结果的控制感较低。此外，尽管对照组为目标的实现生成了明显更多的赞成而非反对的原因，但抑郁参与者并没有这样做。这些结果表明，抑郁患者并非缺乏有价值的目标，而是对其可能性、可控性和成功实现目标的原因更为悲观。
