title: When intentions go public: does social reality widen the intention-behavior gap?
abstract: Based on Lewinian goal theory in general and self-completion theory in particular, four experiments examined the implications of other people taking notice of one's identity-related behavioral intentions (e.g., the intention to read law periodicals regularly to reach the identity goal of becoming a lawyer). Identity-related behavioral intentions that had been noticed by other people were translated into action less intensively than those that had been ignored (Studies 1-3). This effect was evident in the field (persistent striving over 1 week's time; Study 1) and in the laboratory (jumping on opportunities to act; Studies 2 and 3), and it held among participants with strong but not weak commitment to the identity goal (Study 3). Study 4 showed, in addition, that when other people take notice of an individual's identity-related behavioral intention, this gives the individual a premature sense of possessing the aspired-to identity.
authors.affiliation: New York University, Psychology Department, New York, NY 10003, USA. peter.gollwitzer@nyu.edu
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Gollwitzer
authors.forename: Paschal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sheeran
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Michalski
authors.forename: Andrea E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D001245:Association Learning; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012919:Social Behavior; D012933:Social Identification; D012941:Social Responsibility