title: On the Use and Usefulness of Backup Plans.
abstract: In this article, we introduce the concept of backup plans as a motivational construct, defined as alternative means to an end that are intentionally developed but are not initially (or ever) used. We posit that backup plans change the way that a person pursues a goal, as well as the likelihood of achieving it, even if the backup plans are never used. In some cases, backup plans are a safety net supporting goal pursuit; however, in other cases, they constitute an unnecessary expense that can undermine motivation to persist with a first-choice plan. We propose that variations in the use and usefulness of backup plans are based on a person's estimation and regulation of complexity value, or the additional costs and benefits that having a backup plan introduces compared with pursuing the same goal with only a single means. Although variations in the estimation and regulation of complexity value are idiosyncratic products of individual, contextual, and goal-related factors, we provide the prototypical example of age-related differences to illustrate our key points. In sum, our conceptualization of backup plans represents a new synthesis of motivation, multiple-goal, and life-span developmental research that addresses a key lacuna in the self-regulation literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Zurich napolitano@psychologie.uzh.ch.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Zurich University Research Priority Programs, Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich.
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Freund
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D000068356:Self-Control; D013850:Thinking
keywords: backup plans; complexity value; goals; life-span development; motivation; self-regulation