Goal Pursuit and Self-Regulation

Undergraduate / Graduate

What is motivation, and where does it come from? What internal processes and external factors enable us to inhibit impulses and control our behavior? How do we conceptualize, adopt, and pursue goals, both as individuals, and as members of partnerships, teams, and organizations? In this course, we will consider foundational and current psychological theories addressing these key questions. Our texts will be drawn from primary source empirical and theoretical articles, and assignments will focus on writing and thoughtful discussion that interrogates these theories and their related evidence. Throughout the course, we will situate goal pursuit and self-regulation within broader contexts-including (but not limited to) an individual's personality and personal history, the affordances of the physical environment, and the social environment in which goals are pursued.