On the structure of behavioral self-regulation.

Publisher Summary It is believed that behavior is goal directed and feedback controlled, and that the goals underlying behavior form a hierarchy of abstractness. In thinking about the structure of self-regulation, one draws on ideas from disparate sources. The focus on goals that translate into behavior is very much in line with a growing reemergence of goal constructs. A variety of labels are used in this chapter: for example, current concern, personal strivings, life task, and personal project. In all these theories, there is room for individualization; that is, a life task can be achieved in many ways. People choose paths that are compatible with other aspects of their life situations and other aspects of their personalities. Two goal constructs that differ somewhat from those named thus far are the possible self and the self-guide. These constructs are intended to bring a dynamic quality to conceptualization of the self-concept. In contrast to traditional views, but consistent with other goal frameworks, possible selves are future oriented. They concern how people think of their unrealized potential, the kind of person they might become. Self-guides similarly reflect dynamic aspects of the self-concept.