1University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2013 Dec;39(12):1668-82. doi: 10.1177/0146167213500151. Epub 2013 Aug 23.
A critical phase in goal striving occurs when setbacks accumulate and goal disengagement becomes an issue. This critical phase is conceptualized as an action crisis and assumed to be characterized by an intrapsychic conflict in which the individual becomes torn between further goal pursuit and goal disengagement. Our theorizing converges with Klinger's conceptualization of goal disengagement as a process, rather than a discrete event. Two longitudinal field studies tested and found support for the hypothesis that an action crisis not only compromises an individual's psychological and physiological well-being, but also dampens the cognitive evaluation of the respective goal. In Study 3, marathon runners experiencing an action crisis in their goal of running marathons showed a stronger cortisol secretion and a lower performance in the race 2 weeks later. Results are interpreted in terms of action-phase-specific mindsets with a focus on self-regulatory processes in goal disengagement.
在目标追求的过程中，当挫折积累并且目标脱离成为一个问题时，就会出现一个关键阶段。这个关键阶段被概念化为行动危机，并假定其特征是内心冲突，个体在继续追求目标和脱离目标之间犹豫不决。我们的理论与 Klinger 将目标脱离视为一个过程而不是一个离散事件的概念化相吻合。两项纵向实地研究检验并支持了这样一种假设，即行动危机不仅会损害个体的心理和生理健康，还会降低对各自目标的认知评价。在研究 3 中，马拉松运动员在完成马拉松目标的过程中遇到行动危机，他们在两周后的比赛中皮质醇分泌增加，表现下降。研究结果从行动阶段特有的心态角度进行了解释，重点是目标脱离中的自我调节过程。
