Researchers identify a psychological trait linked to conquering difficult goals

A new study has found that individuals who are more action-oriented – meaning they can regulate their emotions and act decisively – are significantly more successful at achieving difficult goals compared to those who are prone to hesitation and procrastination. The research was published in Motivation and Emotion.

For decades, researchers have tried to understand why some people consistently follow through on their goals while others struggle, even when motivation, time and commitment is high. One theory, known as Personality Systems Interactions (PSI), suggests that the key lies in how well individuals can manage their emotional states. According to PSI theory, action-oriented people are better at switching from planning to doing, especially when faced with challenges.

Based at the University of Trier in Germany, researchers Karla Waldenmeier and Nicola Baumann wanted to test a central idea of PSI theory: that action-oriented individuals are more likely to achieve difficult goals. Previous studies had looked at parts of this theory, but none had examined it all together – specifically, self-chosen goals, the difficulty of those goals, and whether they were actually achieved.

The pair conducted a longitudinal study involving 199 participants, mostly university students (85% female, average age 22 years). Each participant was asked to come up with six personal goals they wanted to achieve over the next four weeks. They also rated how difficult each goal was. After the four-week period, participants reported on how successful they had been in achieving those goals. The researchers also measured each person’s action-state orientation using a well-established psychological scale.

The results were clear: goal difficulty negatively predicted goal achievement overall, meaning harder goals were less likely to be achieved. Additionally, people who scored higher on action orientation were more likely to achieve their goals, especially when those goals were rated as difficult. In contrast, state-oriented individuals, i.e. those who struggle to act under pressure, were less successful when goals required more effort. Interestingly, when goals were easy, both groups performed similarly.

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Waldenmeier and Baumann concluded, “So, who climbs Mount Everest? … First, is climbing Mount Everest an easy or a difficult goal for someone? If it is considered easy, there shouldn’t be a huge difference between individuals. However, if it is considered difficult, action-oriented individuals are more likely to achieve the goal than state-oriented individuals. This is due to their higher self-regulatory abilities, which are crucial when attempting to achieve a difficult goal – whether that is climbing Mount Everest or calling a sibling you just had a huge fight with.”

However, the study does have limitations. Because participants rated their own goals and progress, personal bias may have influenced the results. Additionally, the researchers did not track changes in motivation over time, nor did they directly measure how participants regulated their emotions during the study.

The study, “Who climbs Mount Everest? Individual differences in achieving difficult goals,” was authored by Karla Waldenmeier and Nicola Baumann.