Paved, graveled, and stony paths to high performance : Theoretical considerations on self-control demands of achievement goals based on implicit and explicit motives

Abstract

Self-control is associated with several positive outcomes such as high performance in different life domains. The exertion of self-control, however, is experienced as strenuous and aversive. Referring to theoretical approaches from motivation psychology we assume that striving for performance goals can feel more or less strenuous, because the goal is based on the implicit or on the explicit achievement motive or on both types of motives. We argue that three sources of self-control demands (difficulty of the task, lack of activity-related incentives and motive-goal incongruence) determine whether the process of goal striving feels easy, moderate or hard, or, in other words, whether the path to high performance is “paved”, “graveled”, or “stony”.