The Influence Of Passion On Goal-Shielding

A mechanism that promotes inhibiting potentially alternative goals and preventsdistraction of attentional resources from a focal target has been defined to asgoal-shielding. Goal-shielding helps individuals manage multiple targets and adjustone’s attentional resources. Goal-shielding theory proposition that the course ofgoal-shielding is assumed to be a process learned through automatic and unconsciousover learning. On the one hand, the activation of a focal target can significantly inhibitthe alternative goals, which prevents the diversion of attentional resources andmaximizes attentional resources effective for pursuit of the focal objective. On theother hand, owing to the other goals may generate potential benefits, individuals willlikely be allocate more attention in alternative goals and reduce to focus the attentionof the target in the first process of the first goal. Shah et al.(2002) in the study of goalshielding considerated that the extent to inhibitory alternative goals depends on thedegree of commitment to focus, But also affected by the potential commitments underthe regulating function. Regulate focus theory differentiated defensive goal based onthe fundamental need of safe and safety or promote goal based on the fundamentalneed of completed or growth."Defensive goal"(i.e., ought, responsibility, obligation)generally seen as necessary and need to achieve Immediately."Promote goal"(i.e.,ideal, desire,wish) generally need not to attain rapidly. Therefore, defensive goal mayencourage individuals to pursue a single goal and generate more strongly inhibitionfor alternative target. A conceptual structure put forward by Vallerand et al. directly related to thistheme is the dualistic model of passion. The dualistic model of passion consideredpassion as a strong tendency toward a self-certitude activity that they love and thinksignificant and in which one will devotes all their time and effort. The individuals ofvarious passion style has distinct subjective experience and will adopt differentstrategies, it will impact the completion of the activity. Obsessive passion has a strongsense of uncontrolled and insecurity in the pursuit of target, thus they easier to takedefensive approach and form rigid goal pursuit pattern. Thus they will allocate moreattention to the current fucus target. But harmonious passion will be flexible in the process of goal pursuit.Our study was to test our main predictions regarding the effect of passion on goal-shielding, and discussed the moderate effect of defensive commitment on obsessive passion and goal shielding on account of Regulated Focus Theory, and further investigated the influence of state obsessive passion on goal-shielding, namely, the role of state obsessive passion on focus target persist through goal inhibition.Purpose:Our research contains three studies. In study one, we tested if participants’ dispositional measures of harmonious and obsessive passion were predicted the suppression of alternative goals. The study2was to test the moderate influence of defensive goal commitment to idiosyncratic obsessive passion’s target inhibition on the bases of regulatory focus theory. In study3, we tested the inhibition effect of state obsessive passion on alternative goal, and further explored the mediate effect of goal-shielding on state obsessive passion and target insist.Method:In study1, we discussed if participants’ idiosyncratic measures of obsessive and harmonious passion were predicted the inhibition of other targets and the unfamiliar targets. Our experiment selected55undergraduate students as participants. Participants were told to "determine a study goal that you like, that is significant to you, and in which you invest a significant amount of time on a regular basis", then asked them to respond to the Passion Scale for this activity. Then participants were asked to "indicate a second important practical activity that they enjoyed engaging in on a regular basis". Finally, participants were asked to report an activity that they had never done before but sound could be interested to do. At this time, participants were to be led to another room to complete a lexical decision task on the computerThe study2was to examine the correlation of obsessive passion with defensive goal commitment and harmonious commitment with promotion goal commitment, and also tested the moderate effect of defensive goal commitment on dispositional obsessive passion’s goal shielding based on regulatory focus theory. Our experiment selected46undergraduate students as participants. Participants were told to "determine a study activity that you like, that is significant to you, and in which you invest a significant amount of time on a regular basis", then asked them to respond to the Passion Scale for this activity and the Regulate Focus Scale for this activity. Then participants were asked to "indicate a second important practical activity that they enjoyed engaging in on a regular basis". At this time, participants were to be led to another room to complete a lexical decision task on the computer.In study3, we tested the inhibition effect of state obsessive passion on alternative goal via memory and imagine task, and further explored the mediate effect of goal-shielding on state obsessive passion and target insist. Our experiment selected64undergraduate students as participants, participants were randomly divided into one of two writing assignments, i.e., obsessive passion groups and harmonious passion groups that differentiated the experimental conditions. All participants completed each writings tasks. After the5-min writing period, participants.were to be led to another room to complete a lexical decision task on the computer. Finally, participants were asked to complete an anagrams task on the computer.Result:①Participants’dispositional measures of obsessive passion can significantly inhibited recognition of their alternative goals and unfamiliar goals, In contrast, participants’dispositional measures of harmonious passion were shown not to predict any goal-shielding regarding alternative goals and familiar goals.②Traits obsessive passion is significantly associated with defensive goal commitment and traits harmonious passion is significantly associated with promotion goal commitment.③Defensive goal commitment moderated on traits obsessive passion and goal-shielding.④State obsessive passion have greater inhibition effect on alternative goals, state harmonious passion have no significantly influence.⑤Goal-shielding mediated on obsessive passion and target persist.Conclusion:In general, passion has two properties of trait and state. Obsessive passion can significantly inhibited recognition of their alternative goals and unfamiliar goals, and defensive goal commitment moderated on obsessive passion and goal-shielding, further, goal-shielding mediated on obsessive passion and target persist. Individual of obsessive passion can attain the target better through target inhibition.