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Social Goals

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

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Synonyms

Drives; Intentions; Motives; Needs

Definition

Broadly speaking, goals are desired end states that direct cognition and behavior in a goal-congruent manner. Goals can vary from the abstract to the concrete and may be approach-oriented (i.e., focused and achieving positive outcomes) or avoidance-oriented (i.e., focused on avoiding negative outcomes). Social goals are a subset of the goals human pursue that are interpersonal in nature, for example, making friends, finding a romantic partner, and making a favorable first impression.

Introduction

Humans pursue a wide range of goals. These sought after end states vary from the quotidian (e.g., waking up on time to catch the train) to the lofty (e.g., climbing Mount Hood) and may be specific (e.g., avoiding the flu) or abstract (e.g., attaining happiness). Goal pursuit can sometimes be focused on achieved desired end states, satisfying what are known as approach-orientedgoals. However, at other times goals are oriented toward...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baruch College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Steven G. Young

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  1. Steven G. Young
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Correspondence to Steven G. Young .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Division of Social Sciences, New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL, USA

    Catherine Cottrell

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Young, S.G. (2020). Social Goals. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1832

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