The Interactive Effect of Individual Differences in Goal Strength and Self-Discrepancies: Examining Negative Affective Outcomes

Self-discrepancy theory postulates that negative affective states (e.g., depression and anxiety) may be a consequence of discrepancies between individuals' goals and their self-perceptions. one theoretical construct that has been hypothesized to influence the magnitude of the association between self-discrepancies and negative affect is goal strength, or how cognitively accessible individuals' goals are. the current study employed a computerized lexical decision task to measure goal strength. we hypothesized that goal strength would moderate the discrepancy-negative affect association, even after controlling for general mental processing speed. over the course of two assessment sessions, participants (N = 162) completed self-report measures assessing self-discrepancies, depression, and anxiety symptoms, and were administered a lexical decision task which assessed the strength, or accessibility, of their self-identified goals. Consistent with hypotheses, results suggest that goal strength is a moderator of the discrepancy-depression relationship, above and beyond what can be accounted for by general reaction times and mental processing speed. the implications of these results for the conceptualization of self-discrepancies and the emergence of depressive symptoms are discussed.