Goal Imagery: Bridging the Gap Between Implicit Motives and Explicit Goals

Two studies examined the role of goal imagery (i.e., the perception‐like mental representation of the pursuit and attainment of a goal) in establishing congruence between individuals’ implicit motives and their inclination to pursue explicit goals assigned to them. Study 1 found that after a goal‐imagery exercise, implicit needs for power and affiliation predicted participants’ affective arousal and their commitment to a social‐interaction goal furnished with power‐ and affiliation‐related incentives. In Study 2, implicit power motivation predicted the level of performance participants achieved in pursuit of a competitive performance goal after a goal‐imagery exercise. Without goal imagery, however, participants’ motivation to pursue an explicit goal was independent of their implicit motive dispositions in both studies.