Future Vision to Current Action: The Relationship Between the Future Self and Goal Achievement

• In Event: Crime Prevention and the Psychology of Risk and Action

Abstract

The extent to which people identify with who they will be in the future appears to be related to achieving personal goals. However, empirical findings regarding the role of future self-identification in goal achievement are inconsistent. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between future self-identification and goal achievement. We examined this relationship longitudinally, while also assessing whether an intervention aimed at strengthening (i.e., manipulating) future self-identification enhanced the relationship between these constructs. A three-armed Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted among first-year university students (N = 321). All participants set goals and those in the intervention condition additionally interacted with their future self via either a smartphone application or virtual reality. Findings revealed that vividness of the future self, and to a lesser extent relatedness with the future self, positively predicted goal achievement, whereas valence towards the future self showed no associations with goal achievement. Furthermore, initial goal achievement predicted increases in both vividness and relatedness, suggesting a potential reciprocal relationship that future research could further examine. In conclusion, the results emphasize the particular importance of vividly imagining one’s future self in achieving self-selected goals. Key findings and broader implications will be discussed during the presentation.

Authors

• Tiffany Tettero, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Esther Mertens, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Aniek Siezenga, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Jean-Louis van Gelder, Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law