Reflective Journal: Letting Go of Goals

Instructions

For this journal assignment, you will write a short reflective essay in which you apply key concepts from Module 5 to your own experience with goal pursuit.

This assignment asks you to move beyond description and use psychological concepts as analytical tools to better understand your motivation, persistence, and well-being. You are not required to include citations unless you explicitly refer to sources outside of the assigned learning materials.

Carefully edit your work.

Assignment Requirements

• Minimum length: 400 words
• Maximum length: No limit
• Follow each step below carefully.

Step 1: Identify a Meaningful Goal

Begin by briefly describing a meaningful personal goal, either past or present, that involved sustained effort over time. The goal may be academic, career-related, health-related, relational, or personal.

You are not expected to disclose anything deeply personal. Choose an example you are comfortable discussing.

Step 2: Apply Module Concepts

Analyze your experience using at least two concepts from Module 5, such as:

• Action crisis
• Controlled versus autonomous motivation
• Goal disengagement
• Goal reengagement
• Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII)

You may incorporate additional concepts if they help you better explain your experience.

Step 3: Reflect and Analyze

Your essay should focus on analysis rather than summary. For example, you might explore:

• How your type of motivation influenced persistence or stress
• Whether you experienced decisional conflict characteristic of an action crisis
• How disengaging from or reengaging with a goal affected your well-being
• How a strategy like MCII could have supported more adaptive decision-making

Use psychological terminology accurately and connect theory directly to your lived experience.

Expectations for a Strong Essay

A strong submission will:

• Present a clear, coherent narrative rather than a list of responses
• Accurately apply course concepts to a real-life example
• Demonstrate reflection on motivation, stress, and well-being
• Use psychological terminology appropriately
• Meet the minimum word requirement

There are no right or wrong conclusions. The goal is to demonstrate thoughtful integration of theory and personal experiencenot to evaluate the success or failure of the goal itself.

MODULE READINGS

1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-best-new-years-resolution-might-be-to-just-let-go-of-an-unfulfilled-life-goal/
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