Fear-setting: A Brief Writing Intervention Increases Motivation to Reach Personal Goals and Positive Affect

Aljoscha Dreisoerner (), Johannes Bodo Heekerens, Verena Karle and Janine Mendes Pawelkiewicz
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Aljoscha Dreisoerner: Goethe University Frankfurt
Johannes Bodo Heekerens: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Verena Karle: Goethe University Frankfurt
Janine Mendes Pawelkiewicz: Goethe University Frankfurt

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2024, vol. 25, issue 6, No 1, 21 pages

Abstract: Abstract Striving towards personally meaningful goals is positively related to well-being. We investigate a brief writing intervention, instructing individuals to define and reappraise their fears related to personally meaningful goals and/or desired personal changes. 154 participants were randomized into a fear-setting writing intervention plus psychoeducation (n = 92), or a waitlist control group (n = 62). Participants filled out questionnaires at baseline, posttest, and 1-week follow-up. Latent change scores models revealed significantly larger increases in motivation to act (subscale perceived success probability, d = 0.27) and positive affect (d = 0.40) in the intervention compared to the control group from baseline to posttest. Results indicate that the effects persisted at the 1-week follow-up. In addition, we found a significant decrease in fear of failure (subscale fear of shame and embarrassment) from baseline to follow-up in the intervention condition (but not from baseline to the posttest). We found no significant effects of fear-setting for motivation to act (subscale fear of no success), fear of failure (subscale fear of devaluing one?s self-estimate), self-efficacy, negative affect, and optimism. This study provides initial evidence that fear-setting can assist people in changing motivation-related cognitive-affective states related to goal attainment and well-being.

Keywords: Well-being; Goal attainment; Motivation; Affect; Positive psychology interventions; Structural equation models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-024-00767-2

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