Implementation intentions

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Implementation intentions (rarely German: implementation intentions ) are a strategy for self-regulation . This concept has the function of specifying the conditions through which long-term goals (e.g. a healthier diet or more sport) can be realized through certain actions. The term "Implementation Intentions" was introduced in 1993 by the psychologist Peter M. Gollwitzer .

While a goal intention only to designate which goal you want to achieve (intent), one describes implementation intention on the work of the precise ways and means to overcome the discrepancy between the current and desired behavior (eg. As an extra serving of fruit in the Eat coffee break). The implementation intentions therefore describe an exact when, where and how and are described as in the form of if-then plans ("If situation X occurs, I will show behavior Y"). We distinguish therefore two types of intentions: the goal intention ( Engl. Goal intention ) or intent and the implementation intention (Engl. Implementation intention or the intention).

The implementation intentions are just a concept to explain the tension between intention and action . Many people decide to change their health behavior, but fail to do so. The relationship between goal intention and actual behavior is low. Goal intention explains only 20% to 30% of the variance in goal achievement. Past behavior is a more appropriate predictor of people's future behavior than their goal intentions. A similar approach that deals with intention and behavior, while still taking social norms, attitudes and behavior control into account, is the theory of planned behavior (Icek Ajzen).

Various variables determine the success of target achievement. For example, when working out target agreements, it depends on whether the goal has been formulated in a demanding, special way and will therefore be more successful or whether it is a demanding but vaguely formulated goal which will be less successful.

Studies have shown that if-then plans help people address their goals and help the process automate over time. For example, in health behavior (consumption of fruit and vegetables). So far, research on implementation intentions has mainly focused on the initiation of goal striving, while the problem of shielding this goal striving, as well as possible applications in the context of emotion regulation, have been largely neglected.

classification

Basically, Gollwitzer assumes that people in general have good intentions and resolutions and also set corresponding goals, but in the end they often fail to put them into practice. The central question here is how the resolutions made can lead more reliably to goal-oriented behavior and to actually achieving these goals.

Every goal attainment usually requires a correspondingly goal-oriented behavior. However, there are very different reasons why this behavior is often unsuccessful. For example, people often have difficulty even starting to behave in the desired manner, or they are all too easily distracted halfway from the goal. Existing distractions can be responsible for the starting difficulties or the fact that certain possibilities for goal-oriented behavior only open up for a short period of time. The problem of not sticking to and giving up on plans arises above all when setting long-term goals that have no immediate effects and are often associated with a high level of personal effort and losses (e.g. healthy eating).

Implementation intentions are a useful way out for both of the problems mentioned. The if-then plans that are made do not name the goal in its unspecific form (e.g. "I want to achieve X"), but rather link a certain critical situation with one accordingly desired target-oriented behavior ("If X occurs, then I will show behavior Y") and thus lead to an automation process.

Through the concrete plan for a certain situation, it is mentally represented and activated, which then leads to a better perception of it, and thus more attention and recognition of the critical situation. The “then” part of the plan, i.e. the goal-oriented behavior, is then carried out automatically. As an immediate benefit, we have more cognitive resources available to do other tasks, and we can stay focused even when distracted.

Since one also assumes that implementation intentions, once they have been named, run unconsciously, this process is called strategic automation.

Nevertheless, the strength of the commitment made, both in terms of the plan and the goal itself, is of course decisive for the effectiveness of the implementation intentions. Without the appropriate commitment, it is difficult for them to contribute to supporting goal-oriented behavior.

According to the model of the phases of action, also called the Rubicon model , the benefits of the implementation intentions become apparent in the so-called planning phase (implemental mindset; volition is the driving force of the action here), which follows the weighing phase (deliberative mindset; motivation as the driving force for goal setting ). In the planning phase, the person has already made a commitment with the goal to be achieved, which is why the implementation intentions here can represent a good strategy to actually achieve this goal.

Goal shielding

In the study “Implementation intentions and shielding goal striving from unwanted thoughts and feelings” by A. Achtziger, Gollwitzer and Sheeran, the aim was to find out whether harmful inner states (disturbing thoughts and feelings) were caused by “if-then plans” it can be checked that the actual goal intention can be continued undisturbed.

In two field experiments dealing with the subject of diet (study 1) and sporting goals (study 2), target shielding was supported by “if-then plans”. Disturbing internal states were cravings for fast food in study 1 and stage fright during a tennis competition in study 2 ). The results in both studies confirmed the assumption that the formation of “if-then plans” combined with a specific goal setting increases the rate of goal achievement.

If-then plans are an effective tool for shielding overarching goals. You focus on avoiding distracting thoughts of pleasure or fear as well as effectively overcoming cognitive, motivational and emotional barriers in order to achieve a certain goal as well as possible.

Implementation of intentions in connection with emotion regulation

In 2009, Keil, Gallo, Gollwitzer, Rockstroh and McCulloch published another study that examined the effectiveness of implementation intentions on the self-regulation of emotional responses. For this purpose, they showed test participants disgusting or fear-inducing stimulus photos, which were viewed under three different instructions for self-regulation. Once the simple goal intention not to be disgusted or feared (“I will not be afraid”), the same intention, but this time with an implementation intention (“and when I see a spider, then I will stay relaxed and calm”) ), and in the control group without any instructions for regulation. Disgust is largely unanimously seen in the literature as one of the basic emotions and was therefore selected. Fear, on the other hand, was selected because of the prevalence of anxiety disorders , such as panic attacks and phobias of all kinds, which affect many people's lives on a daily basis. Participants were asked to rate the intensity of the emotions experienced by rating the excitement felt on a scale. Only the participants in the Implementation Intentions group were able to control their reactions or successfully reduce their disgust and fear, which suggests that Implementation Intentions can be a very useful strategy when it comes to successfully regulating emotions.

literature

  • Powers, TA, Koestner, R., & Topciu, RA (2005). Implementation Intentions, Perfectionism, and Goal Progress: Perhaps the Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 31 (7): 902-912, doi : 10.1177 / 0146167204272311
  • Good intentions, bad habits, and effects of forming implementation intentions on healthy eating. Verplanken, Bas; Faes, Suzanne European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol 29 (5-6), Aug. – Sep. 1999, 591-604. doi : 10.1002 / (SICI) 1099-0992 (199908/09) 29: 5/6 <591 :: AID-EJSP948> 3.0.CO; 2-H
  • Breneiser, Jennifer E. Implementation intentions and cost in prospective memory retrieval. ProQuest, 2007.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Böde, Ulla, and Edelgard Gruber, eds. Climate protection as a social process: Success factors for implementation at the municipal level. Vol. 44. Springer-Verlag, 2013. p. 199.
  2. ^ Gollwitzer, Peter M .: Goal achievement: The role of intentions. European review of social psychology 4.1 (1993): 141-185.
  3. ^ Kliegel, Matthias, and Mark A. McDaniel. Prospective memory: Cognitive, neuroscience, developmental, and applied perspectives. Taylor & Francis, 2008. p. 7.
  4. ↑ Reinecke, Jost. AIDS prevention and sexual behavior: the theory of planned behavior in the empirical test. Springer-Verlag, 2013. pp. 51/52.
  5. ↑ Sniehotta, FF, Scholz, U., & Schwarzer, R. (2005). Bridging the intention-behavior gap: Planning, self-efficacy, and action control in the adoption and maintenance of physical exercise. Psychology & Health, 20 (2), 143-160.
  6. ↑ Baumeister, Roy F., and Kathleen D. Vohs, eds. Encyclopedia of social psychology. Sage Publications, 2007. p. 461.
  7. ^ Gollwitzer, PM (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist , 54, 493-503. P. 493.
  8. ↑ Locke, EA, Latham, GP, (1990). A theory of goal setting & task performance. In: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, US: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1990). xviii, 413 pp.
  9. ^ Gollwitzer, PM, & Brandstaetter, V. (1997). Implementation intentions and effective goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 186-199.
  10. ↑ Jackson, Cath, et al. "Beyond intention: Do specific plans increase health behaviors in patients in primary care? A study of fruit and vegetable consumption." Social Science & Medicine 60.10 (2005): 2383-2391.
  11. ^ Gollwitzer, PM (1990). Action phases and mind-sets. In ET Higgins & RM Sorrentino (Eds.), The handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of social behavior (Vol. 2, pp. 53-92). New York: Guilford Press.
  12. ↑ Orbell, S., & Sheeran, P. (1998). Regulation of behavior in the pursuit of health goals: Commentary. Psychology and Health, 13, 753-758.
  13. ↑ Heckhausen, H. (1987). Motivation and Action. Heidelberg: Springer (2nd edition).
  14. ^ Gollwitzer, PM (1990). Action phases and mind-sets. In ET Higgins & RM Sorrentino (Eds.), The handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of social behavior (Vol. 2, pp. 53-92). New York: Guilford Press.
  15. ↑ Achtziger, A., Gollwitzer, PM, & Sheeran, P. (2008). Implementation intentions and shielding goal striving from unwanted thoughts and feelings. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, pp. 381-393.
  16. ↑ Schweiger Gallo, I., Keil, A., McCulloch, KC, Rockstroh, B., & Gollwitzer, PM (2009). Strategic automation of emotion regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 11-31.