Social Achievement Goals and Social Adjustment in Adolescence: A Multiple‐Goal Perspective

Adolescents approach social situations with different social achievement goals (i.e., social development goals, demonstration‐approach goals, and demonstration‐avoid goals). Applying a latent profile analysis (LPA), a person‐centered approach, this study identified four groups of adolescents with distinct social goal profiles: approach‐oriented, undifferentiated high, demonstration‐oriented, and undifferentiated low. Observed differences in various indicators of social adjustment, including social anxiety, friendship quality, prosocial behavior as well as aggressive behavior, indicated that the approach‐oriented and undifferentiated high profiles showed most adaptive outcomes, whereas the demonstration‐oriented and undifferentiated low profiles showed maladaptive patterns of social outcomes. Profiles with high levels of social development goals showed the most adaptive social outcomes regardless of the level of demonstration‐oriented goals (i.e., demonstration‐approach and demonstration‐avoid goals). These findings suggest that focusing on high‐quality relationships and developing social competence leads to adequately contending with social challenges, and it provides protection against the negative effects of demonstration‐oriented social goals.     

Self‐Favoring Bias for Physical Activity in Middle‐Aged and Older Adults1

A self‐favoring bias for physical activity (PA) was examined in a community‐based sample of middle‐aged and older adults (N= 3,211). Participants' actual level of PA relative to peers was compared with their perceived PA relative to peers. It was estimated that 38% were realistic, 46% self‐favoring, and 16% other‐favoring in their perceptions. Among participants whose actual PA level was similar to peers, increasing age was associated with a self‐favoring bias. Among less and more physically active participants, however, age was not associated with this bias. Better self‐rated health and being male were also associated with a self‐favoring bias. These results suggest that a self‐favoring bias for PA exists in a significant proportion of middle‐aged and older adults, and it is more pronounced with increasing age, among those with better self‐rated health, and among men.     

The Social Goals of Excuses: Self‐Serving Attributions or Politeness Strategies1

Participants provided examples of explanations given as excuses, or withheld in favor of a false excuse, both for failing to keep a social contract and for rejecting a social invitation. Results show that the likelihood of an explanation being given in social‐contract situations was best predicted by intentionality and controllability; while in social‐rejection situations, the most important factor was to avoid personal reasons (related to the recipient). Excuse‐givers were even willing to blame themselves to do this. These results are discussed in terms of the need to extend attributional categories beyond traditional self‐serving functions to include social goals. such as the recipient saving face, to provide an adequate account of how excuse‐making varies across different types of social predicaments.     

Task,Coping, and Scheduling Self‐Efficacy in Relation to Frequency of Physical Activity1

Self‐efficacy has been shown to be a robust predictor of exercise and other health‐related behaviors (e.g., Bandura, 1986, 1995, 1997; Godin, Desharnais, Valois, & Bradet, 1995; Maddux, 1995; McAuley, Wraith, & Duncan, 1991). Maddux has proposed that there are different types of self‐efficacy and that these types may fulfill different roles in the motivation of behavior, perhaps based on characteristics of the target behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine 3 different types of self‐efficacy: task, coping, and scheduling and their respective usefulness in distinguishing among persons reporting different levels of exercise involvement. A cross‐sectional telephone survey using exercise behavior as the selection criterion was completed with 203 adults. Results showed that coping and scheduling efficacy were the best disciminators of level of exercise behavior. Task efficacy did not clearly distinguish between exercise groups. The theoretical and applied implications are discussed, particularly noting specific targets for future intervention.     

成就目标、社会目标、自我效能及学习成绩与学业求助的关系

本研究以152名初中二年级学生为被试,采用问卷法研究了成就目标、社会目标、自我效能及学习成绩与学业求助的关系。结果表明：(1)自我取向的成就目标的确可以区分出自我一趋向型目标和自我一逃避目标,它们对学业求助的影响模式是不同的,自我一逃避型目标对学业求助有更大的负面作用。(2)社会目标与学业求助有显著关系,支持本研究的假设。(3)自我效能低及学习成绩差的学生更不愿求助,支持脆弱假说。     

Physical Activity and Perceived Self‐Efficacy in Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of self‐efficacy in older adults, with physical activity, age, and sex as the predictor variables. Regression analyses revealed physical activity to be the only statistically significant predictor of self‐efficacy. These findings may be of interest to counselors who work with older people.     

Self‐Concept Clarity and the Management of Social Conflict

ABSTRACT: In 4 studies we examined the relationship between self‐concept clarity and conflict management. Individuals with higher self‐concept clarity were overall more active and showed more cooperative problem‐solving behavior than people with low self‐concept clarity. There were no relationships with contending or yielding. The positive relationship with cooperative behavior was mediated by less rumination (Study 2) and moderated by conflict intensity (Study 3). Specifically, it applied to relatively mild conflicts (Study 3). Finally, Study 4 extended these findings to the group level: Dyad members with higher self‐concept clarity engaged in problem solving, whereas dyad members with lower self‐concept clarity did not. We conclude that higher self‐concept clarity associates with proactive problem solving in social conflict.     

Physical Activity,Exercise Motivations,Depression, and Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in Youth

This study explored the relationship between physical activity, depression, and nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) in 167 high school and undergraduate students (mean age = 17.37, range 14–25). Results indicated that NSSI frequency had a significant negative relationship with physical activity, and physical activity moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and self‐harm. Specifically, high levels of depressive symptoms and low levels of physical activity had the greatest frequency of NSSI. Lastly, appearance‐based exercise motivations were significantly related to increased frequencies of NSSI. Overall, physical activity may possess a protective nature against NSSI, especially in individuals with depressive symptoms.     

Self‐Enhancement in a Job Search Context

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of self‐enhancement in a job search context. Based on previous theoretical and empirical research on positive illusions and core self‐evaluations, we examined the relationships among core self‐evaluations, self‐enhancement, perceived job alternatives, and job search behaviors. Participants in two different studies were students attending a career fair at a university in the southwestern United States to look for a job. Results showed that self‐enhancement is positively related to preparatory job search and mediates the relationship between core self‐evaluations and perceived job alternatives. The implications of this study are discussed.     

Language Anxiety and Counseling Self‐Efficacy

A total of 120 master's‐level counseling students were given the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and the Counselor Self‐Estimate Inventory. Significance was found for all 3 hypotheses: (a) nonnative English‐speaking students have significantly more language anxiety than native English‐speaking students, (b) nonnative English‐speaking students’ language anxiety was negatively correlated with counseling self‐efficacy, and (c) native English‐ and nonnative English‐speaking students significantly differed in their perceptions of counseling self‐efficacy. Se administraron la Escala de Ansiedad en Clase de Lengua Extranjera y el Inventario de Autoestimación de Consejeros a un total de 120 estudiantes de máster en consejería. Se encontró significación para las 3 hipótesis siguientes: (a) los estudiantes cuya lengua nativa no es el inglés sufren un nivel considerablemente más alto de ansiedad a causa del idioma que los hablantes nativos de inglés, (b) la ansiedad a causa del idioma de los estudiantes cuya lengua nativa no es el inglés mostró una correlación negativa con la autoeficacia en consejería y (c) los grupos de estudiantes nativos y no nativos en inglés mostraron diferencias significativas en sus percepciones de autoeficacia en consejería.     

Natural Rewards Self‐Management,Personality, and Achievement Outcomes

The purpose of this paper is to test and examine a model of personality and self‐regulation that specifies a possible self‐regulatory route to increased performance in achievement contexts—the use of natural rewards self‐management strategies, which allow people to create motivating situations by modifying tasks through perceptual or physical means. This model is hierarchically organized with global personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness) predicting use of natural rewards, and natural rewards influencing attention and effort, which are positively related to performance. Participants were undergraduate students at 3 large state universities, and data were collected at 4 points during the semester. Results from structural equation modeling provided support for the model. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Self‐Efficacy Assessment and Generalization in Physical Education Courses1

Physical education courses can have effects that generalize past their immediate task as measured by increases in domain‐specific self‐efficacy. It was predicted that competitive combative courses like boxing would be more likely to have skills generalize to other domains than noncontact courses like swimming. A Physical Education Self‐Efficacy Scale was created that focused on 2 different domains of self‐efficacy: 1 specific to the course (physicality), and 1 in a disparate domain (leadership initiative). Students were given the scale before and after the 2 different courses. Results indicate that there were small but significant increases in both subscales for students enrolled in boxing, but not for students enrolled in swimming. Physicality self‐efficacy also correlated strongly with performance. Implications and mechanisms for generalization of self‐efficacy to neighboring domains are discussed.     

Physical Threat and Self‐Evaluative Emotions in Smoking Cessation1

Negative self‐evaluative emotions (e.g., feeling dissatisfied with oneself, feeling stupid) are considered to indicate a threat to the self that can be caused by an external physical threat (e.g., smoking). A sample of 363 smokers was tested twice, with an interval of 8 months. Prospective analyses showed that self‐evaluative emotions mediated the relationship between the other psychological factors and quitting activity. In turn, the relationship between self‐evaluative emotions and quitting activity was mediated largely by intention to quit. The results indicate a primary role of self‐evaluative emotions in the motivation to quit smoking, and this should be taken into account when designing smoking‐cessation interventions.     

First‐Person Authority and Self‐Knowledge as an Achievement

相似文献   

Examining the Relationship Between Exercise Goals,Self‐Efficacy,and Overt Behavior With Beginning Exercisers1

Despite the overwhelming evidence that associates regular physical activity with physical and mental health benefits, millions of North Americans remain sedentary. Previous research by Poag‐DuCharme and Brawley (1993, 1994) and suggestions by Bandura (1989, 1997) led to the hypothesis that goals would influence exercise behavior through the mediating variable of self‐efficacy. Changes to the social cognitions and behavioral patterns of adherers during the exercise program were also assessed. Results demonstrate that at midprogram, self‐efficacy beliefs mediated the relationship between goal influence and exercise frequency. Significant increases were observed in self‐efficacy and perceived exertion from onset to midprogram. Onset goal influence and self‐efficacy significantly discriminated adherers from dropouts. Results are discussed with respect to the need to continue investigating the changing influence of social cognitions on motivating behavior.     

How Self‐Image and Compassionate Goals Shape Intrapsychic Experiences

Self‐image goals focus on constructing, maintaining, and defending desired public and private images of the self, whereas compassionate goals focus on being supportive and not harming others. We suggest that these goals shape construals of others in relation to the self, which in turn, shape affective experiences. We review research showing that when people have self‐image goals, they construe others as competitors, which leads to feeling uneasy with others (i.e., conflicted, confused, and fearful), and that when they have compassionate goals, they construe others as collaborators and have more constructive approaches to interpersonal problems, which leads to feeling at ease with others (i.e., peaceful, clear, and loving) and less upset with them. Thus, interpersonal goals shape construals of others, which in turn shape intrapsychic experiences of the world and of the self.