In Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Goal Content Theory is one of the sub-theories. Self-Determination Theory extensively discusses the types of intrinsic motivation and how to cultivate it but involves a shift from a “why” perspective to a “what” perspective: What activities make you happy?
Setting Life Goals
When we were young, aside from countdowns and fireworks during New Year celebrations, teachers would assign projects about New Year resolutions, giving us goals to complete in the upcoming year. As we grow older, does this habit continue? The kinds of goals we set for ourselves are the main focus of Goal Content Theory. For example, one year my early-year goals and year-end reviews looked like this:
| Category | Beginning of Year Plan | End of Year Review |
| Financial Accumulation | Hope to save a few more thousand dollars and have a proper asset allocation. | Due to changing jobs, I didn’t receive a year-end bonus, and the stock market crashed that year, so overall it was very unsuccessful. |
| Health | Plan to swim and run regularly, and also join weight training classes to increase stamina and muscle mass. | Regular swimming and running, along with weight training, improved stamina and muscle mass, so it’s considered successful. |
| Mental Space and Time Management | Switch to a less demanding job closer to home, allowing more time for myself. | Although I changed jobs, I didn’t use my time appropriately, and there was no significant increase in productivity, so it’s considered unsuccessful. |
| Maintaining Relationships | Visit parents once a month and regularly plan gatherings with important friends and family. | The planned activities were accomplished, so it’s considered successful. |
| Learning | Cook, grow plants, write more, and delve deeper into philosophical topics. | Except for regular practice in photography, I didn’t accomplish cooking, growing plants, writing, or reading philosophical books, so it’s considered unsuccessful. |
In my experience, each year-end review of last year’s performance and planning for the next year’s tasks expresses what was important to me at that time. But achieving those tasks is another matter. Techniques, mindset, execution ability, determination, and control—all of these affect the outcome. For example, in financial accumulation, if your approach is investing in the market, how much you earn is often determined by external factors, not solely by effort. However, in aspects within more control, like physical health, your personal determination is key to completion.
Prioritizing Different Goals
If you previously had a habit of setting annual goals, you can review what those goals were and understand the importance they hold for you. If you haven’t set goals before, that’s okay. The Aspiration Index (AI, Kasser & Ryan, 1993) can help prioritize the importance of these goals, listing seven domains, each with five sub-topics. If you already have goals, you can fill out the far-right column.
| Category | Example Content | My Goals (Examples) |
| Wealth | I want to be a very wealthy person I hope to own many luxuries I hope to be financially successful I want to become rich I have enough money to buy anything I want | Hope to save a few more thousand dollars and have a proper asset allocation. |
| Fame | I hope my name is known by many people Hope to be admired by many I hope to be famous I hope my name appears often in the media I hope to be admired by a diverse group of people | |
| Good Physical Appearance | I hope I can successfully hide signs of aging I want many to find me attractive I want to keep up with fashion trends in clothes and hairstyles Achieve the look I always desired Have an appearance that others find appealing | |
| Personal Growth | I want to grow and learn new things When my life ends, I hope I can look back and feel life was meaningful and fulfilling I want to do what I choose, not be pushed along I want to know and accept my true self I want deeper understanding of why I act as I do | Cook, grow plants, write more, and delve deeper into philosophical topics. Switch to a less demanding job closer to home, allowing more time for myself. |
| Relationships | I hope to have many good friends I can count on I hope to share life with the people I love I hope for committed intimate relationships I want to feel genuinely loved Have deeper, enduring relationships | Visit parents once a month and regularly plan gatherings with important friends and family. |
| Community | I hope to contribute to making society a better place I want to help those in need without expecting anything in return I want to work hard to make the world better I want to help others improve their lives Help those in need | |
| Physical Health | I hope to be healthy I want to feel good about my body I hope to become healthier I want to avoid illness I want a healthy lifestyle | Plan to swim and run regularly, and also join weight training classes to increase stamina and muscle mass. |
From my example, it can be seen that fame, good physical appearance, and societal contribution are not initially within my framework of goals, indicating these are less important. In contrast, wealth, personal growth, relationships, and physical health are important to me, but because making money depends a lot on luck, my priorities are personal growth > relationships > physical health > wealth. By using this method, you can prioritize the importance of goals. We also invite you to arrange your goals for the aforementioned categories.
Goals Affect Your Level of Happiness
Have you prioritized your goals? With all these goals, why is this order important? This is a core concept in Goal Content Theory (GCT) of Self-Determination Theory (SDT): Determining which goals are more important will decide your level of happiness (Kasser & Ryan, 1996).
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations
Initially, researchers analyzed these aspiration domains to see if they revealed more fundamental desires. They found that the seven domains could be simplified into “intrinsic aspirations” and “extrinsic aspirations”:
- Intrinsic Aspirations: personal growth, meaningful relationships, contribution to community, physical health
- Extrinsic Aspirations: wealth, fame, personal appearance
Extrinsic Aspirations and Mental Health Correlation
Researchers also collected mental health-related indicators such as self-actualization, vitality, depression, anxiety, and self-reported physical symptoms. When using intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations as independent variables and mental health indicators as dependent variables for regression analysis, they found that intrinsic aspirations are positively correlated with higher self-actualization and vitality, while extrinsic aspirations correlate with lower self-actualization and vitality, higher tendencies of depression, and more physical symptoms.
This means that the life goals you choose basically determine whether you will be happy in the future. If most of your goals are about earning more money, having a good reputation, or becoming physically more attractive, you’ll experience more negative emotions, a lack of self-fulfillment, and less vitality according to mental health indicators.
Reasons Some Motives Are Hard to Judge
Reflecting on this conclusion, we might have doubts and think about examples that are challenging to understand the root causes. For instance:
- Taiwan is a country with a high home ownership rate, and many people have a goal of owning a home under the belief “land is wealth.” This goal is likely a financial one. However, some people desire a home to provide a better living environment for their family, thus mixing financial goals with important relationship goals like deeper connections or family happiness.
- Many wealthy individuals donate a large sum to charity while making money.
Indeed, these situations may not align with our original expectations regarding intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations. Thus, what is crucial is the authentic objectives behind these goals.
Goals Must Satisfy Needs to Generate Happiness
But why can these goals enhance happiness? Why can intrinsic goals do so, while extrinsic goals cannot?
Within the framework of Self-Determination Theory, those goals meet psychological needs, and when these needs are fulfilled, happiness is produced. In other words, psychological needs actually mediate between the goal execution and happiness. Let’s explain this concept with a simple diagram:
Goal Setting —> Psychological Needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) Mediation —> Happiness
For example, consider an extrinsic goal like “wanting to earn more money.” Since mediation means “intermediary events must happen before further progression,” it becomes a question of:
- Can earning more money increase autonomy? Certainly, “spending” once you have money might. However, when discussing the “earning” process, there are numerous uncontrollable factors like market fluctuations or a boss’s wishes and attitude, which may not increase autonomy.
- Can earning more money enhance feelings of connectedness? It might. As discussed in another article, spending money on experiential purchases might increase a sense of connection with others. However, spending on material goods may not boost happiness significantly.
- Can earning more money increase feelings of competence? Perhaps you believe skilled individuals make more money. But often, reasons for earning more money relate to choices, like industries and majors, rather than one’s competence.
By thinking in this manner, setting goals aligned with psychological needs can more effectively enhance our happiness.
What You Can Do Next—
- Set your goals. If you haven’t regularly reviewed and set life goals, now is a great time. Among these goals, which are extrinsic aspirations? Which are intrinsic aspirations?
- Ensure these goals fit your life’s framework. From the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, as long as these goals satisfy autonomy, a sense of competence, or allow deeper connections with others, they form a goal framework that boosts happiness.
If You’re Interested in Learning More About Self-Determination Theory—
If you, like me, might fall into one of these categories:
- Highly interested in Self-Determination Theory and want to explore more on the theory and practical applications
- Currently writing a thesis and intend to apply broadly used theories in Positive Psychology as a basis for hypotheses
- Open to reading original books
You can further explore the Self-Determination Theory: Cultivating Intrinsic Motivation, and Enhancing Happiness article, which presents a complete introduction to the theory.
Moreover, Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness by Ryan and Deci, published in 2017, is a crucial text in this field. Although important literature since 2018 warrants further discussion, the book provides a significant overview of the entire theoretical framework. If you’re a graduate student aiming to compile a comprehensive thesis, this book is highly suitable for you.
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