Emotion in the Hierarchical Model of Approach-Avoidance Achievement Motivation

Publisher Summary Emotion is present in many ways throughout the achievement motivation process. Individuals bring general affective tendencies with them to achievement settings, and these dispositions influence the types of achievement goals that they adopt. In turn, the achievement goals that individuals adopt, influence the type of affect that they experience as they anticipate achievement tasks, engage in achievement tasks, and respond to achievement outcomes. Emotion is undoubtedly implicated in the achievement motivation process in other ways as well. Importantly, the fact that the hierarchical model grounds achievement motivation in deeply engrained personality dispositions does not mean that achievement goal adoption and resultant emotional experience are set in stone. Although it is true that temperament is quite stable over the lifespan, motive dispositions, although also stable, are likely to remain at least somewhat malleable into adulthood. Achievement goal adoption is multiply determined; many other factors besides general affective tendencies are involved in goal adoption, including perceived competence, implicit theories of ability, and numerous properties of the achievement environment. Thus, both goals and emotions are amenable to change in achievement settings, but such change is undoubtedly constrained to a degree, given the stability of personality.