title: Investigating goal conflict as a source of mixed emotions.
abstract: This research investigated whether (1) the experience of mixed emotions is a consequence of activating conflicting goals and (2) mixed emotions are distinct from emotional conflict. A preliminary experiment (Study 1, N = 35) showed that an elicited goal conflict predicted more mixed emotions than a condition where the same goals were not in conflict. The second experiment was based on naturally occurring goal activation (Study 2, N = 57). This illustrated that mixed emotions were experienced more following conflicting goals compared with a facilitating goals condition-on both a direct self-report measure of mixed emotions and a minimum index measure. The results also showed that mixed emotions were different to emotional conflict. Overall, goal conflict was found to be a source of mixed emotions, and it is feasible that such states have a role in resolving personal dilemmas.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berrios
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Totterdell
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kellett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emotional complexity; Goal conflict; Mixed emotions; Mixed feelings