IB Sports, exercise and health science C.5.1.2 the Goal-setting Paradox: Elite Athletes' Dissatisfaction with Achieving High Goals Notes

The Goal-Setting Paradox: Why Elite Athletes Feel Less Satisfied After Achieving Difficult Goals

1. Burton et al. (1998) surveyed 570 collegiate athletes across 18 sports at four US universities, finding over 99% used goal setting but most rated their goals as only moderately effective.
2. Athletes who hit unusually demanding goals often describe a post-achievement low: the build-up was huge, the moment passed quickly, and the satisfaction did not last.
3. Weinberg and Gould (2015) note that effective goals must be hard enough to challenge but realistic enough to achieve.

Why Does the Goal-Setting Paradox Occur?

1. Emotional Deflation After Success

1. Anticipation vs. Reality: The journey toward a goal often involves intense focus and anticipation.
2. Once the goal is achieved, the absence of this drive can create a void, leading to feelings of deflation.

2. Shifting Reference Points

1. Achieving a high goal can raise expectations for future performance, making past successes feel less significant.
2. This constant recalibration can diminish the satisfaction of reaching even the most challenging goals.

3. Pressure to Maintain Success

1. Success often brings external pressures, such as expectations from coaches, fans, or sponsors.
2. These pressures can overshadow the joy of achievement, replacing it with anxiety about maintaining performance.

4. The Hedonic Gap

1. The athlete spent months identifying themselves with the chase, so once the chase is over, there is no obvious next step.
2. The reward felt larger in anticipation than in reality, which psychologists call the hedonic gap.
3. The higher the goal, the larger the gap tends to be.

Goal Adjustment: A Key to Sustained Motivation

1. While setting goals is important, the ability to adjust them is even more critical. This involves two main processes: