Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Letting go of unmet goals: Does self-focused rumination impair goal disengagement?

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Motivation and Emotion Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Self-regulation of behavior frequently requires that people disengage from goals that are too difficult to attain. The current studies investigate whether self-focused rumination hinders the execution of this crucial self-regulatory competence. In study one, participants attempted to solve anagrams, some of which were unsolvable, and their predisposition to engage in self-focused rumination was assessed. The tendency to ruminate was associated with getting stuck in the attempt to solve unsolvable anagrams. In study two, ruminative thoughts were manipulated by asking participants to focus on their self, personality, and goals in life, a task frequently employed to induce rumination. Compared to participants undergoing a distraction induction, ruminating participants were more likely to get stuck trying to solve unsolvable anagrams. These results suggest that self-focused rumination hinders disengagement from unattainable goals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aspinwall, L. G., & Richter, L. (1999). Optimism and self-mastery predict more rapid disengagement from unsolvable tasks in the presence of alternatives. Motivation and Emotion, 23, 221–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. A. (2001). Relation of rumination and distraction with neuroticism and extraversion in a sample of patients with major depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 25, 91–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1981). Attention and self-regulation: A control-theory approach to human behavior. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1998). On the self-regulation of behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Paula, A., & Campbell, J. D. (2002). Self-esteem and persistence in the face of failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 711–724.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elliot, A. J., McGregor, H. A., & Gable, S. (1999). Achievement goals, study strategies, and exam performance: A mediational analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 549–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feather, N. T. (1961). The relationship of persistence at a task to expectation of success and achievement related motives. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 552–561.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hammen, C. (1991). Generation of stress in the course of unipolar depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 555–556.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, M. D., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2007). Implementation intentions and disengagement from a failing course of action. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 20, 81–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhl, J., & Helle, P. (1986). Motivational and volitional determinants of depression: The degenerated-intention hypothesis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 247–251.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lang, P. J. (1995). The emotion probe: Studies of motivation and attention. American Psychologist, 50, 372–385.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lench, H. C., & Levine, L. J. (2008). Goals and responses to failure: Knowing when to hold them and when to fold them. Motivation and Emotion, 32, 127–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewinsohn, P. M. (1974). A behavioral approach to depression. In R. J. Friedman & M. M. Katz (Eds.), The psychology of depression: Contemporary theory and research (pp. 157–178). Oxford, England: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1995). Effects of self-focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem solving. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 176–190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., Tucker, K. L., Caldwell, N. D., & Berg, K. (1999). Why ruminators are poor problem solvers: Clues from the phenomenology of dysphoric rumination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1041–1060.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, L. L., & Tesser, A. (1996). Some ruminative thoughts. In R. S. Wyer Jr (Ed.), Ruminative thoughts. Advances in social cognition (Vol. 9, pp. 1–47). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, L. L., Tesser, A., & McIntosh, W. D. (1993). Wanting but not having: The effects of unattained goals on thoughts and feelings. In D. M. Wegner & J. W. Pennebaker (Eds.), Handbook of mental control (pp. 552–572). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. E., & Wrosch, C. (2007). You’ve gotta know when to fold ‘em: Goal disengagement and systemic inflammation in adolescence. Psychological Science, 18, 773–777.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moberly, N. J., & Watkins, E. R. (2010). Negative affect and ruminative self-focus during everyday goal pursuit. Cognition and Emotion, 24, 729–739.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nesse, R. M. (2000). Is depression an adaptation? Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 14–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1991). Responses to depression and their effects on the duration of depressive episodes. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 569–582.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Morrow, J. (1991). A prospective study of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: The 1989 Loma Preita earthquake. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 115–121.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Morrow, J. (1993). Effects of rumination and distraction on naturally occurring depressed mood. Cognition and Emotion, 7, 561–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Parker, L., & Larson, J. (1994). Ruminative coping with depressive mood following loss. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 92–104.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 400–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen, H. N., Wrosch, C., Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (2006). Self-regulation processes and health: The importance of optimism and goal adjustment. Journal of Personality, 74, 1721–1747.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J. E., Gilboa, E., & Gotlib, I. H. (1998). Ruminative response style and vulnerability to episodes of dysphoria: Gender, neuroticism, and episode duration. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 22, 401–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness. San Francisco, CA: W.H. Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shipley, W. (1940). A self-administering scale for measuring intellectual impairment and deterioration. Journal of Psychology, 9, 371–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strube, M. J., Deichmann, A. K., & Kickham, T. (1989). Time urgency and the type A behavior pattern: Time investment as a function of cue salience. Journal of Research in Personality, 23, 287–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, H. T., & Yates, J. F. (2002). Financial budgets and escalation effects. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 87, 300–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 247–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Elzen, J., & MacLeod, C. (2006). Facilitated cognitive disengagement in depression. Behavior Therapy, 37, 304–313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Randenborgh, A., de Jong-Meyer, R., & Hüffmeier, J. (2010). Rumination fosters indecision in dysphoria. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66, 229–248.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vickers, K. S., & Vogeltanz-Holm, N. D. (2003). The effects of rumination and distraction tasks on psychophysiological responses and mood in dysphoric and nondysphoric individuals. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 331–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, A., Lyubomirsky, S., Sousa, L., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Can’t quite commit: Rumination and uncertainty. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 96–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, E. R., & Baracaia, S. (2001). Why do people ruminate in dysphoric moods? Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 723–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, E. R., & Brown, R. G. (2002). Rumination and executive function in depression: an experimental study. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 72, 400–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, E. R., & Moulds, M. (2005). Positive beliefs about rumination in depression - a replication and extension. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 73–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wrosch, C., Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Schulz, R. (2003). The importance of goal disengagement in adaptive self-regulation: When giving up is beneficial. Self and Identity, 2, 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrosch, C., Miller, G. E., Scheier, M. F., & de Pontet, S. B. (2007). Giving up on unattainable goals: Benefits for health? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 251–265.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zeigarnik, B. (1938). On finished and unfinished tasks. In W. D. Ellis (Ed.), A source book of gestalt psychology (pp. 300–314). New York: Harcourt Brace.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Franziska Elberg for her help in collecting the data and Charles Carver and Matthias Siemer for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

    Annette van Randenborgh & Joachim Hüffmeier

  2. University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Joelle LeMoult & Jutta Joormann

  3. University of Applied Science Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Annette van Randenborgh

Authors
  1. Annette van Randenborgh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joachim Hüffmeier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joelle LeMoult
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jutta Joormann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annette van Randenborgh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van Randenborgh, A., Hüffmeier, J., LeMoult, J. et al. Letting go of unmet goals: Does self-focused rumination impair goal disengagement?. Motiv Emot 34, 325–332 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-010-9190-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-010-9190-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation